Blindsided
by weesh
Summary: When Austin meets the girl working at Sonic Boom he is instantly attracted. But Ally is different than other girls and has a secret. Can Austin break through her walls?
1. No Ordinary Day

Blindsided

**Disclaimer: I don't own Austin and Ally. Pity.**

**A/N: So my awesome hubby doesn't watch Austin and Ally with me, even though he knows I love the show because it's pretty much our love story. (seriously Disney: who is your spy?) He's maybe seen two or three episodes all the way through. He doesn't know all my favorite episodes and scenes. And he doesn't get songs like 'Better Together' or 'Chasing the Beat of My Heart' stuck in his head all day like I do – not that I'm complaining. But I just keep seeing the similarities in My Austin. **

**Like the other day he had a tough day at work and was a little bit down. Now, he's a fun and happy guy all the time so when he gets sad even the tiniest bit it pretty much rips your heart out. So he sends me a text: "I know I say it a lot but thank you for being my best friend. I don't know if I could make it without you." ! When he got home I hugged him tight and then later I asked if he did it on purpose and he had no idea what I was talking about. I explained and he laughed and admitted that I might be right about this Austin and Ally show thing. I am not making this up, people! He is Austin, Austin is him. I rest my case. **

Chapter 1: No Ordinary Day

Austin Moon finished his shift at the Melody Diner in the Miami mall and clocked out. He grabbed a change of clothes from his tiny employee locker and hurried to the men's room to change from his work clothes into something more him: ripped jeans with a chain, white t-shirt and his red leather jacket. Stuffing his uniform back in the locker, he shook out his blond hair, gave a final wave to the guys in the kitchen, and walked back out the front of the restaurant. Three girls at a table called to him and he flashed them a dazzling smile but kept going. He was on a mission today.

It was a Monday evening the first week of December and the 17 year old had less than an hour before the music store on the other side of the mall closed. Over the weekend he had played at a bar mitzvah where his drum kit had been damaged and he needed to replace two pieces before Friday when he had another gig. So he jogged through the drizzling rain as the sun set and cold descended.

All of his life Austin had loved music. He couldn't hold still when he heard a good beat. Anytime a kid at school talked about learning an instrument, he wanted to try it too, and he picked everything up unusually fast. He had only mastered the piano and guitar, but could play a little bit on almost anything he picked up and it was all self taught. Early on, his parents thought this was a phase, a good outlet for all his creative energy, but Austin never grew out of it. And two years ago when his best friend Dez got a nice video camera for Christmas, they decided to make some music videos. Austin practiced singing and dancing while Dez developed his camera work. It kept the boys busy for hours and made their parents happy to have them focused on something for the rest of Christmas break from school. No one could have guessed that after three of the music videos were posted on the internet that Austin would get the attention he did. So he was slowly making a name for himself in Miami, doing covers and singing live to music he recorded on his own. The only thing he struggled with was writing anything original. But he had a good ear and could play anything he heard at least once so he got by on that.

Austin reached the other end of the mall, watching for the music store he had heard about. He slowed down and caught his breath for a moment before walking into the doors of Sonic Boom. Austin instantly liked this place. It felt wide open, was bright, and was filled with something he knew a great deal about: musical instruments. On one side of the store was a huge sculpture made of guitars and other instruments. He grinned like a child on Christmas as he looked around. His wallet felt heavy in his back pocket because he actually had money to spend and a need to fill. He wandered the store for a few minutes, unable to stop smiling as he walked by displays of guitars and other items. He made a mental list of other things he would like to get in the future. He only let himself get momentarily distracted as he made his way around the room, eventually finding the drum sets on the opposite side of the store from the entrance.

Just as he was making his way toward the drums, Austin saw a pretty brunette girl about his age sitting at a grand piano near the middle of the store. She sat sideways on the piano bench, helping a little boy with a trumpet. He paused and watched her show the boy how to properly hold the instrument. She was clearly explaining things to him and his mother who was paying close attention. The girl's complete focus seemed to be on the shiny instrument in her hands, but she smiled gently as she spoke and Austin couldn't look away.

This girl wasn't flashy and overdone like some of the girls who chased him since his videos started getting attention on the internet last year. Her rich brown hair fell in soft curls down her back and she was dressed simply in a knee length floral skirt, a black top and a vest, and Austin liked everything he saw. She wore a name tag he couldn't read from this distance, but he guessed that she worked here. When she finished up with the boy, Austin put on his best smile, leaned casually against the wall next to a back door and waited for the girl to look up. He would be directly in her line of sight and he planned to wave and get her attention. But she didn't look up. A little girl with a bow and a small pink violin stepped forward and said something. The girl reached out hesitantly, ghosting her hands over the little one's hands as she held the violin to her chin. With a gentle touch, the brunette expertly corrected the child's hold on the instrument, guiding her through playing a perfectly sustained note that carried sweetly through the store.

Austin almost forgot his disappointment that she didn't notice him as he watched this graceful creature helping customers who had apparently lined up to receive her attention. One by one children, teens and adults all came to her, asking questions or seeking help with an instrument. She didn't move from her seat once as the flow of people came to her and she greeted each with a soft smile and downturned gaze. He didn't think she could be shy, because she interacted so warmly with everyone, but she didn't meet their eyes either. As he watched her, unmoving from his spot against the far wall of the store, he also noticed that the man working at the register this busy evening was constantly pointing people toward her line as he tried to keep up with sales.

A cell phone placed on top of the piano buzzed, catching the girl's attention and pulling Austin from his daze. She deftly reached out and touched the phone, stopping the buzz, and said one last thing to the man she had been talking to. He walked away and she turned her back on the last person waiting in her line as she faced the piano properly. Her fingers danced along the keys as she played a simple melody and began to sing an old song he'd heard on the radio: "closing time." Her voice was sweet and vibrant; it suited her perfectly and Austin wasn't the only one just standing still and listening. When the girl finished the song, everyone inside the store applauded.

"Thank you. Come back and see us soon!" the man at the register said to the crowd.

People filed out toward the doors, two stopping at the register in the center where the man helped them make their final purchases. The girl remained at the piano, idly plinking out a tune he didn't recognize. This was his chance. Austin walked up to her.

"That was great! I've never heard a store close that way before." He said.

"Oh, thanks." She turned her face in his direction with a smile, but kept her eyes downturned. "People seem to like it so I do it most nights when I'm here."

"You work here?" he asked, he had to be sure he could see her again.

"Yes. My dad owns the store." She gestured toward the man at the registers without taking her attention from the piano.

"Well you have a beautiful voice. I'm a singer too, and a musician." Austin said.

"Most people who come here are."

"Oh, yeah."

"Did you need anything?" she asked.

"Drums. My bass got kicked in at a gig over the weekend and the snare's seen better days." He said.

"Well, we are closed now but you can come back another day and we'll help you with that." she offered.

"I'd like that. When do you work again?" he asked.

The girl tilted her head, looking surprised at the question. "I'm here most days."

"Good, then I'll see you again. What's your name?"

"Ally."

"I'm Austin."

Someone cleared their throat behind him and Austin spun around. The man from the store, Ally's dad, was standing there. "Sorry, we're closed now. Please come back another day." He said.

"I will. Nice to meet you Ally." Austin said and he left the store, popping the collar of his jacket against the cold drizzling rain. Despite the weather, he had a smile plastered to his face.

Austin wasn't able to return until Friday, where he had a small window of time between school and his gig. He hurried to Sonic Boom, anxious to get his drums and to see Ally again. He scanned the store as he walked in and saw her at the piano with a little girl, it looked like she was giving a lesson.

"Can I help you find anything?" the man, Ally's dad, asked him.

Austin told the man what he needed and was led toward the drum section of the store, past the piano so he couldn't just watch Ally. He pointed out what he needed and the two of them carried the drums toward the registers at the center of the store. Austin glanced at Ally again, her hand was lifted and her slim fingers slid across the page of music just under the notes. Then her fingers dropped to the keys again and she played a progression, speaking softly to her student as she demonstrated the piece. She was so beautiful! And talented. He wanted to hear her sing again.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the man telling him how much he owed for the drums. Austin pulled out his wallet and paid as the man beamed at him. "Thanks for coming to Sonic Boom. Visit us again." he said in a chipper voice.

"Thanks." Austin picked up the two drums which was awkward because of their size. "Um, can I take one to my truck and come back for the other in just a minute?"

"Of course. I'll hold that one behind the counter here." The man answered. Austin handed back the snare and picked up the bass again.

"I'll be right back." He said. This could work. Maybe Ally would finish her lesson when he came back and he could talk to her. Plus, there was just no way he could move both drums at the same time without breaking something.

He hurried through the cold outside and back into the warmth and comfort of the store. A glance told him Ally was alone at the piano and he took advantage of her dad being busy with a customer to go and talk to her again.

"Hi Ally." He said brightly as he approached the piano.

Her head snapped toward him but she looked confused. "Hi." She said uncertainly.

"I'm Austin, remember? I came here Monday but I was too late to buy the drums."

"Oh, now I remember, hi Austin." She said and faced the piano again. "Did you get your drums?"

"I did. I'm playing a birthday party tonight, so I really need them." He leaned casually against the piano as they spoke.

"So you are a real musician then, it's not just something you tell people." She said.

"Um, yeah. Well, I've never had a lesson, but I play somewhere most weekends and my videos have gotten a lot of hits online. Yeah, okay, that sounds like bragging and I didn't mean to sound like that." He finished.

"It's okay. I egged you on a bit." Ally admitted. "No lessons, huh?"

"Nope. We didn't have the money when I was little but I borrowed instruments anytime I could and then started getting odd jobs a few years back so I could buy some. I've got the drums, obviously, two guitars and a keyboard. Now I work at the Melody Diner on the other side of the mall. I get to sing all the time there and I can afford instruments and stuff."

"I've never been to the Melody Diner. Does everyone sing there?" Ally asked.

"I'm a waiter, so I have to sing the menu, and pretty much anything else I want to say. It's fun. Like working here must be. You probably have a blast here with all the instruments to play with all day."

"I like it here. But I don't get out much." Ally said.

"That's too bad. Maybe I could take you out sometime?" Austin offered. Ally frowned so he quickly amended. "You know we could hang out, go do something fun when we aren't working."

"You really don't have to do that." Ally said.

Her dad was free of customers again and came over to the piano. "Your drum is still behind the counter, ready to go when you are." he said to Austin.

"Oh, thanks. I should probably go, since I've got that thing tonight." Austin straightened up. "I'll see you later Ally."

"Bye Austin." Ally said as he followed her dad back to the registers. He handed the drum to Austin who then left the store to the gentle strains of piano music played by Ally.

That night Austin played a girl's 14 year old birthday party where he was surrounded by screaming girls. He probably should have been more excited about it, but a certain girl was on his mind. A petite brunette with an amazing voice, mad musical skills, and a hovering father. This last part almost made him frown but he kept his smile firmly in place while he performed for the happy, screaming girls. And it was a good thing he did too. The birthday girl's cousin Kira was there that night, along with her record producing father Jimmy Star. It turned out that Jimmy had heard of Austin Moon thanks to his daughter, so he checked out the dozen or so videos he and Dez had posted online over the last two years. When he found out that the young performer would be at his niece's party he made sure to be there too, inconspicuous and in the background, until after the set.

Jimmy pulled Austin aside to introduce himself and give the young man his card with instructions to put together a demo and bring it by as soon as possible. Austin agreed immediately and had a hard time focusing while Dez helped him pack up his gear into the back of Austin's truck. He had just enough self control to wait until they were driving home to tell Dez about meeting the record producer. The whole way home he felt like he was going to burst apart into a million pieces because he was so excited. This could be his big break, the start of everything he'd been dreaming of.

On Saturday Austin worked the early shift. In the early afternoon he clocked out, changed, and walked through the mall. His feet eventually carried him toward Sonic Boom, no matter how many stores he wandered through trying to pretend he was doing something different. He paused in the courtyard outside, far enough away that it wasn't clear he was interested in the store, but also near enough that he caught a glimpse of two familiar faces inside. Ally was at the central counter talking to her dad, but anytime a customer came up he was the one who rang them up. Austin was turning to walk away and make his way back toward the diner and his truck when he passed a girl he recognized from school. He didn't know Trish de la Rosa well, but they gave each other a nod as they passed. He turned for a last look at Sonic Boom and saw Trish walk into the store. He was pretty sure she didn't play anything, so he didn't give much thought to her visit to the popular store.

Austin and Dez spent the rest of the weekend tweaking his music, re-recording some of the instrumentals, and making sure the few songs he covered were perfect before he gave them to Jimmy. Late Sunday night he quickly did his homework so he could deal with school in the morning. It was his senior year and his classes weren't too hard.

Monday after school Austin drove to Star Records to deliver his demo for Jimmy. The woman at the front desk told him he couldn't see Jimmy, but promised that the disc would get to him. She reminded Austin that Jimmy was a busy man with many meetings and a lot of things to do. He left feeling a little deflated, but tried to keep his hopes up.

Austin walked into Sonic Boom on the Wednesday two weeks before Christmas and found Ally at the base of the stairs, fiddling with the end of a garland that came undone. She was frowning and clearly making no progress with it and since Austin couldn't see her dad anywhere he went straight to her. There was a woman in her twenties he hadn't seen before at the registers.

"Hi Ally." He said as he got closer to his reason for coming to Sonic Boom.

"Austin?" Ally guessed, lifting her head slightly to acknowledge him then returning to the garland.

"That's me. How's it going?" he asked.

"This garland came loose and I thought I could fix it. My mom worked so hard putting up all these decorations and I wanted to help." She said, sounding discouraged.

"Mind if I try?" Austin offered.

Ally's hands stilled and she took a small step back, holding out the fake greenery with a large red bow at the end. Austin's fingers brushed hers as he took the bow and fastened it onto the railing with wires attached to the back.

"All fixed." He announced.

"Is it straight?" Ally asked, reaching out and touching the bow.

"Yeah. So, I know you work here with your dad, but I haven't seen your mom yet. Does she work here too?"

"No. She works with the primates at the Miami Zoo. So many questions: what about you and your family? I think you owe me some information now." Ally answered. Her fingers played with the garland and she was looking down. He wished she would look up at him.

"That's fair. My parents own a mattress store and they are there all the time. Dad wants me to learn the business but it's just not me." Austin told her.

"You aren't the business type?"

"No: more the rocker type. Put me on stage any day over selling mattresses." He said. "Are you the business type?"

Ally shrugged. "I like giving lessons and helping kids pick out their first instrument. The paperwork is a challenge though."

"Yeah, I hate that part. What's your favorite instrument?" Austin changed the subject to something more interesting.

Ally smiled and starting walking toward the central counter. "That's like asking a mother to pick her favorite child. I like them all but I'm best at piano and violin."

"Where did you learn so much about music?" he followed her, noticing that her dad was back in his usual place again working alongside the other employee he'd noticed earlier.

"My dad taught me a lot of it." Ally reached the counter and slid her hand along the surface as she walked around back of it. Her dad glanced at her and smiled. "How did Becca's lesson go honey?"

"Fine dad. She's doing really well." Ally tilted her head slightly in her dad's direction, but seemed to be studying the countertop. Austin thought he might need to make it a goal to get her to look up more, preferably into his eyes.

"And who's your friend?" Ally's dad asked curiously as he looked at Austin on the other side of the counter.

"This is Austin." Ally said.

"I bought some drums last week, Mr . ..?" Austin trailed off, scrunching his face as he realized he didn't know Ally's last name yet.

"Dawson. I remember you. Are you here for another instrument or was there a problem with the drums?" Mr. Dawson asked.

"No problem. I just stopped by to see Ally." He admitted.

"You did?" Ally looked surprised.

"Well, yeah." Austin grinned at her and leaned on the counter between them. At this angle he could see Ally's brown eyes, but they looked unfocused and her irises were cloudy. That was strange: the lighting must be messing with him.

He realized Mr. Dawson was watching them and cleared his throat. Austin stood up again, realizing he probably should be more careful in front of her dad. Mr. Dawson spoke to his daughter.

"Ally, your next lesson is the trombone with Danny. Why don't you get ready for that up in the practice room, I'll send him up when he arrives." Mr. Dawson said to his daughter, laying a hand on her shoulder. Ally turned to her dad and agreed.

"Well, bye Austin." she said and walked over to the stairs. Her hand hovered just over the garland on the railing as she went up to the second floor and through an open door.

Austin watched her go and then quickly left the store, glancing back to see Mr. Dawson watching him. _Well, that could have gone better_, he thought. With a protective father hovering, it might be harder to get to know Ally than he thought. And she was busy. Visiting her at her job would be a hard way to get to know her, but he had nothing else to goon because he definitely hadn't seen her at school before.

. . . . .

At school on Friday Austin kept an eye out for both Ally and Trish at school. He only caught a few glimpses of Trish in the cafeteria and there was no sign of Ally. Dez noticed his distraction at lunch and demanded to know what was going on with his best friend. Austin asked if Dez knew Trish.

"She's so bossy! I have pottery with her and she's a little latina fireball. You definitely don't want to see her when she's mad. Just make sure you don't put wet clay on her head. She hates that."

Austin laughed at his friend. "I don't think anyone likes that Dez."

Dez shrugged. "It's not that bad."

Austin shook his head at his friend and took a bite of his food.

"Why do you want to know about Trish? She doesn't seem your type." Dez prodded.

"No, she's not. But she may be friends with the girl at Sonic Boom."

"Oh, Ally." Dez said teasingly.

"Yes, Ally. There's something about her." Austin thought about her and got a dreamy distant look on his face.

Dez grinned at him and pointed his french fry at the blonde. "You like her."

"Yeah. I just don't know how to get to know her better without her dad breathing down my neck."

Dez made a face. "That's tough buddy."

That day after school Austin drove to the mall for no reason. He was caught up with his school work for the most part and only had to write one paper during the weekend - he wasn't worried about that. He didn't have to work and actually had some time to kill since Dez was busy working on a project for one of his classes. And for once he didn't have a gig this weekend. So Austin wanted to goof off, play some music or something, but he didn't want to be alone either. And that's how he ended up pacing in front of Sonic Boom at 4pm.

Trish walked out of the store and saw him. She started to come his direction so he ducked into a nearby store, quickly getting lost amongst the racks of clothing, ducking slightly to hide his tall form. It was cowardly and he wasn't even sure why he hid from the girl, but he didn't want to talk. He wanted to play. His fingers itched for a guitar and he knew deep down inside that Ally was the only one who would understand this.

After waiting what felt like an eternity to Austin, but must have been enough time for Trish to leave, he emerged from the clothing store and went directly toward the entrance of Sonic Boom. He hurried inside and scanned the store. Ally was nowhere in sight and Mr. Dawson was occupied with a customer for the moment. He ducked behind a display of violins and heard the soft strains of a piano floating through the air. The piano on the main floor was vacant and then Austin remembered the upstairs room.

Checking again for Mr. Dawson, Austin dashed up the stairs and into the open doorway. Ally paused her playing at the loud sound of his entrance.

"Hey." he panted, trying to catch his breath from his mad dash.

"Nelson? Your lesson isn't until tomorrow." Ally said.

"No, its Austin." he corrected her. She wasn't looking directly at him, but rather in the general direction of the doorway he had just come through.

"Oh. Hi." she ducked her head. He thought she sounded pleased, and nervous? Her fingers plucked at her hair hanging over her shoulder.

"Are you supposed to teach a lesson now or do you have some time?" he asked.

"I usually teach a brother and sister right now, but they cancelled on me. Is something wrong? You are out of breath."

"I kind of ran here."

"Okay."

"Listen, this may sound strange, but, can we just play for a while?" Austin asked.

"Play?"

"Yeah, like you on the piano, me on the guitar, and just, um, go where the music takes us?" Austin said the last part quietly, knowing how ridiculous he must sound.

Ally smiled though. "Sure. That could be fun. There's a guitar just over here." she pointed to an acoustic guitar on a stand beside the wall behind her.

"Thanks." Austin took a breath and began to relax. He walked over to the guitar and let himself really look around the room. It was larger than he would have guessed, with the piano against one wall and shelves of instruments lining most of the walls. There were some windows on the wall to his right with a couch underneath and two chairs facing it. Just like the store below, this place was immediately comfortable to him.

He picked up the guitar and went to the wooden chair set beside the piano. He pulled the chair out a bit and turned it so he was facing Ally's side and could see what she did on the keyboard. He gave a few light strums to the guitar as he settled in. He fiddled for a moment with the melody of a song he was thinking of covering next. He glanced up and saw that Ally was completely attuned to the sound and within a few chords her fingers began to move, effortlessly playing a counterpoint to his melody.

They didn't say much after that; they just played. The chord progression of one song led into another, half the time they couldn't have said who began which song, it all flowed so seamlessly. They riffed on familiar melodies, changing chords, turning it into something new. They clapped their hands or tapped on the sides of their instruments to give the other percussive support for solos. They sang a little and Austin's insides hummed happily when he heard how well their voices blended. And they laughed.

Austin had never been this well matched by another musician in person before and it was exhilarating to know that whatever he played, she could match it, and maybe even one-up him, challenging him. He had never had so much fun and his cheeks actually hurt from smiling. He turned a hard rock song she was playing on the piano into something acoustic and folk rock, then on the last verse she turned it easy listening like his parents listened to and they both dissolved into laughter. Austin was bent double over the guitar, laughing and trying to catch his breath. Ally was shaking with laughter on the piano bench in front of him.

"What's so funny?" A female voice said from the doorway behind Austin.

He spun around on his seat so quickly that he fell off the chair, landing on his backside with the guitar safe on his lap. Austin's face went red and he started laughing again, his eyes clamped shut to hold back tears.

"What happened?" Ally asked, her voice concerned but with hints of laughter at the edges.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. He fell off his chair." the woman came into the room and hovered just above Austin. He saw hands reaching out to help him up but he waved them away as he tried to catch his breath and clear his vision from laughing so hard he cried. Normally he would be embarrassed but he was just so happy that he didn't care.

"Did you get off work early mom?" Ally asked in an almost controlled voice.

"Mom?" Austin choked out, looking up at the woman. She had the same brown hair and eyes as Ally, they were clearly related.

"No honey. It's almost 7pm, the time we discussed me picking you up today." Mrs. Dawson said. She sat on the piano bench next to her daughter and smiled warmly as she smoothed Ally's hair.

"Oh! I guess I lost track of time." Ally said, turning to face her mom.

"You look happy sweetheart." Mrs. Dawson commented. Then she looked at Austin who finally managed to pick himself up and sat back on the chair facing the piano. "Is this a new student?"

"No, he's um, a friend?" Ally said.

"Hey, I'm Austin Moon." he gave a little wave and smile to Ally's mom. "We were just goofing off."

Mrs. Dawson returned his smile and then looked lovingly at her daughter. "We need to go, Ally. Have you eaten dinner yet?"

"No. I completely forgot about food. We were playing songs and I just forgot everything else." Ally said.

"It's my fault. I forgot everything else too." Austin stood up and replaced the guitar on its stand by the wall.

Mrs. Dawson stood up and he crossed the room, knowing that he had to get back to real life now. "Nice to meet you Austin." she said.

"You too, Mrs. Dawson." Austin paused when he reached the doorway. "And Ally? Thanks for today: it was just what I needed."

"It was fun." Ally agreed.

"We should do this again, soon. Well, I guess I'll see you later then." Austin said.

"I'd like that. Bye Austin." Ally called after him.

Austin went downstairs and gave a nod to Mr. Dawson as he walked out into the twilight. The three hours with Ally had flown by. He hadn't thought of food, or time or anything but her and the music they were making. As he walked back to his truck he smiled at everyone he passed, happy with life and the world and everyone in it.

. . .

By Monday Austin was starting to wonder when he would hear back from Jimmy Star. It had been a week since he dropped off his demo and he was anxious to get some kind of response. He was stewing over this during lunch at school when his thoughts and Dez's humming were interrupted by none other than Trish de la Rosa.

She faced Austin and demanded "What do you think you are doing?"

"Hello to you too." Austin said, taken by surprise.

"Trish." Dez said seriously to the latina.

"Dez." she acknowledged him grudgingly. Then she turned back to Austin with her eyebrows raised and a challenge in her eyes.

"What are you talking about?" Austin asked, completely befuddled.

"Ally Dawson. I've seen you hanging out around the store."

"What's it to you?" Dez challenged.

"I'm her best friend." Trish fired back.

"Oh." Dez said, sitting back, deflated.

"What do want with her?" Trish demanded from Austin.

"Um, I like playing music and singing with her. She's pretty and I like being around her. I'm going to ask her out." Austin listed off. Dez grinned at him, getting that goofy look he always has when he watches romantic movies.

"Ally doesn't date." Trish said.

"Why not?" Austin asked.

"It's not easy for her to get out. Didn't you think about that?"

"No. Why is it hard? Is her dad that strict?"

Trish shook her head. "Look, I know she's all comfy in the store, but it's because she knows the space so well. You take her somewhere she doesn't know her way around and it's hard for her."

"Oh. I didn't know it would be a problem." Austin said.

"Yeah, well, her family tries not to make a big deal out of it and they have their routines and things so it's not a big deal most of the time. But you can't just waltz in there and change things up like this." Trish said.

"I just like being around her. Why does this bother you so much? I'm not a bad guy." Austin went on the defense. Dez nodded his head enthusiastically in agreement.

"Maybe you are a good guy, but do you know the first thing about being with someone like Ally?"

"What do you mean, 'someone like Ally'? I think I know how to treat a pretty girl."

Dez was watching their argument like it was a tennis match, turning his head from side to side to look at each one as they spoke.

"I'm not talking about pretty girls. I'm talking about blind girls." Trish said.

"Wait, what?" Austin asked.

Trish stared at him in disbelief. "Hello? Ally's blind."

"Blind?"

"Wow, Blondie. I gave you too much credit. You didn't even notice?" Trish said.

"I. . . but she. . . that's why she won't look me in the eye? And she never knows who I am. . ." he put it all together, the way she touched the countertop, how she was always sitting down, her cloudy eyes.

"Finally, he gets it." Trish rolled her eyes.

"She's so capable though and if you watch her she doesn't look like anything's wrong at all in the store." Austin argued.

"Yeah, that's because she knows every inch of that store and her house. But you take her somewhere else and YOU have to watch out for her." Trish said. "Do you really think you are up to that if you didn't even notice she can't see you?"

"But the lessons, how does she teach if she can't read music?" Austin asked, still trying to wrap his head around this.

"Braille. She has special books she uses with her students that have braille under the printed notes and she's gifted with music. She hears something once and it's in her head, perfect, every time. She knows every piece she asks her students to play inside and out." Trish explained.

"Wow. I already thought she was amazing, but that's just, wow." Austin said.

Trish watched Austin for a moment. "Do you really like her?" she asked.

"I've only seen her four times and I can't get her out of my head. What do you think?" Austin said.

"Hmmm. Maybe. Look, just don't push her okay? Spend time with her where she's comfortable and get to know her better before you ask for anything else, alright? She's special." Trish said.

"Yeah, she is." Austin agreed.

"Aaawwwwww." Dez said, looking at Austin with a huge sappy smile.

Austin rolled his eyes and Trish walked away, shaking her head.

**So, reviews are a really cool thing that make me smile. I'm just saying.**

**Also, has anyone else seen the R5 interview outtakes on youtube where Ross laughed so hard he cried? So stinking funny! **


	2. The Way That You Do

**Disclaimer: I don't own Austin and Ally.**

**Dedication: to my step-grandfather Mel who lost his sight when he was 18 years old. He worked hard, raised his family, lost his wife and then fell in love with my grandma over the symphony and peanut butter sandwiches. She was an artist and he never saw one of her paintings. He measured his grandkids by the buttons on his shirt, could vacuum a room with the best of them, and always wanted to "see" what we got for Christmas. He had a Braille typewriter that punched the special raised letters into paper. And way back in the early 1980's his computer 'talked' and read out documents to him. He was a good man. It was a privilege to know him.**

Chapter 2: The Way That You Do

Austin was distracted for the rest of the school day. He thought back to every moment he had spent with Ally so far and he couldn't help but marvel at this girl. He already thought she was incredibly talented when it came to music, but now, knowing that she was blind he had a whole different respect for her. And her confidence walking around the store was astounding. He couldn't imagine taking the stairs and moving to the piano and counter without hesitation like she did. And she had a phone – he'd seen her use it – but how did that work if she couldn't see? He had so many questions and his desire to see her sooner than later was only magnified.

But it would have to wait. Austin had a biology test to study for and went straight home after school. And, finally that evening just before dinner Austin got a call from Jimmy Star. He, Austin Moon, was about to become Star Records newest recording artist! He and his parents went to the studio at 6pm to talk to Jimmy and to sign paperwork. Austin called Dez on the way home that night with his news and in the morning the quirky red-head joined the Moons for a pancake breakfast to celebrate.

After school on Tuesday Austin and Dez went to the mall. Dez needed something from an electronics store and they wandered for a while after that. Eventually Dez elbowed his distracted friend.

"I know you want to see her. Let's go." Dez said. They weren't far from Sonic Boom at this point and he knew why.

Austin nodded and sped up a little from his leisurely pace. When they got to Sonic Boom they stopped just inside the door and looked around. He couldn't see Ally anywhere so he went to the counter.

"Hi Mr. Dawson. Is Ally here?" Austin asked.

"She's upstairs." Mr. Dawson nodded toward the practice room.

"Thanks." Austin led Dez up to the room where he knocked lightly on the open door. Inside he could see Ally sitting with Trish on the couch under the window, Ally's back was toward him. At his knock Ally's head turned a bit and Trish didn't hide her frown.

"It's Austin and his friend Dez." she told Ally.

Austin saw her cheeks turn pink and she turned on the couch so she wasn't only facing Trish. "Hi." she said. Her face was turned down toward her hands as usual and her hand rose to play with the ends of her hair in a nervous gesture.

"Hi Ally. I hope you don't mind, but I brought my best friend to meet you." Austin said crossing the room with Dez in tow. "He's sick of me talking about you." Austin teased and saw her cheeks darken again.

"Hi Ally." Dez chimed in. "This is a really cool room. Great lighting; it would film really well."

"Dez wants to make movies. He filmed all my music videos that are online." Austin explained.

"Hi Dez." Ally said. "Trish told me about the videos."

"They actually are pretty good." Trish admitted grudgingly.

"I listened to them." Ally said. "The song choices are good. You favor uptempo numbers, but have you thought about branching out into a slow song or two?"

"I like to keep it light and fun. You know, something with a good beat I can dance to." Austin shrugged. "If I found the right song I might change things up a bit eventually. But this is working for me."

"It works for his hoards of screaming fangirls too." Trish added.

"Not just them. It works for a certain record producer too." Austin said, making a face at Trish. "I came by to tell Ally about getting the record deal. I thought maybe we could do something to celebrate."

"Congratulations Austin!" Ally said, looking genuinely happy for him. Then her face fell. "But I can't go out and celebrate with you."

"I was going to bring ice cream here for you, but I don't know your favorite flavor." Austin responded quickly. "You do like ice cream, right?"

Ally relaxed visibly and nodded. "Yes, I like ice cream." she said. "Fruity Mint Swirl is my favorite." She supplied.

"Great. I'll go get you some and bring it back okay?" Austin said.

Ally nodded.

"What about you Trish, what flavor do you want?" he asked.

Trish looked surprised but then told him she liked cookie dough. Austin made a mental note. "Come on Dez, we'll be right back."

"Okay." Ally said.

Austin and Dez went to the nearby food court and bought several small bowls of ice cream which they carried back to Sonic Boom. He handed a bowl of vanilla ice cream to Mr. Dawson as they passed and went upstairs to the practice room.

"Knock knock!" Austin said as he got to the doorway and walked in. His hands were full so he couldn't actually knock."We're back." The boys crossed the room and Dez handed Trish her bowl of cookie dough ice cream before sitting in one of the chairs facing the couch to enjoy his dulce de leche.

"Here's your bowl of fruity mint swirl." Austin said, approaching Ally. She held her hands out and he carefully placed the bowl in them. She smiled warmly at him. Then he sat in the other chair facing the couch and dug into his rocky road.

"Your spoon is at 10 o'clock." Trish told Ally. The petite brunette reached out unerringly to pick up the spoon and start eating. Austin took note.

"It's 4:23, actually." Dez corrected.

"I wasn't talking about the time, doofus." Trish grumbled.

"Pretend your bowl is the face of a clock, Dez." Ally said. "It's a clear and fast way for me to find what's on my plate." She took another bite of the ice cream and closed her eyes in contentment.

"I've never seen you at school." Dez commented.

"I'm home schooled by my mom." Ally told him. "It's easier that way. I'm here with dad all day and she works too, so we do all the school stuff in the evening. I usually do some homework here during the day when I'm not teaching or helping downstairs."

"How long have you two known each other?" Austin asked, pointing his spoon between Trish and Ally.

Trish took this one. "We live next door so we've known each other our whole lives."

"That's cool." Austin noted.

"Yeah, Trish is one of the few people who remembers me when I could see." Ally said.

"What do you mean?" Austin asked.

"I wasn't born blind, but my eyes were never great. My vision got really bad and my eyes were stressed when I started school. By second grade everything was just blurs and colors and after I turned 10 everything went dark." she shrugged. "It's just the way it is."

"Were you scared?" Austin asked.

"I was for a little while. Then I learned how to live with it." her expression was serene and she took another bite of her ice cream.

Trish's phone beeped. "I gotta go, Ally. I'll see you tomorrow okay?" she said as she stood up. "Thanks for the ice cream Austin." she said.

"Anytime." He said, pleased that he had done something right with Ally's closest friend.

"There's a film I want to see tonight across town. I'm out." Dez said.

"Oh, well, it was nice to meet you, Dez. Bye Trish." Ally said.

"Bye guys." Austin said as they headed out the door.

He finished his ice cream and saw that Ally was done as well. He offered to take her bowl and threw everything in the trash by the door.

"Can I sit by you?" Austin asked when he came back.

"Sure." Ally said.

He sat next to her on the couch, his body angled slightly toward her so he could still look at her.

"Trish told me that you didn't realize I was blind, is that true?" Ally didn't waste any time.

Austin grimaced. "Yeah. You must think I'm an idiot."

"No. I just didn't know I could fool anyone like that." Ally said.

"It's just that down there in the store you were helping all these people and you don't walk around with your hands out or anything, and I guess I was a little distracted."

"Distracted?"

"You're really pretty." Austin said. Ally blushed, a deep pink staining her cheeks that only made Austin's heart beat faster.

"Thanks." she shook her head slightly. "Trish said you are cute. Can I see?"

"How?"

"The same way I see everything: with my hands."

Ally turned to face him fully, her knee resting against his and sending a tingle up his leg. She reached out toward him and he lifted his hands to take hers. She slid her fingers from his grasp though and with a feather light touch ran her hands up his arms to his shoulders. He leaned toward her a bit as her hands ghosted up his neck to his face.

"Just relax." she said.

"Sure." he said as his heart raced at her touch. Her fingers were smooth and gentle as she ran her hands lightly over his face in a broad sweep and then she prodded his face, taking in each feature; the straight nose, cheekbones, forehead under his shock of blonde hair, his jawline and finally his lips. Her fingertips smoothed the skin gently as she explored his features. Then her hands slid up into his hair for a moment before she lowered her hands to her lap again with a small smile on her face.

Austin reminded himself to breathe. "So, what do you think?" he asked.

"Not bad." Ally said casually.

Austin laughed. "Thanks."

"Trish may have had a point." she conceded.

"Nah, I'm actually hideous." he joked.

"She also told me about the girls who follow you around and all your fans. You don't need my approval."

"What if I want it?" Austin asked.

"Why? You hardly know me."

"I'm trying to change that, if you can't tell."

"Yeah, I know. But I still can't figure out why." she said.

"You're a girl, I'm a guy. It's pretty simple really." he said.

Ally laughed. "You like the direct approach don't you?"

"Well, flashing you my brilliant smile and trying to look hot didn't exactly work for me the other day, so I'm trying a different approach."

"You did that?" Ally asked.

"Yeah. Pretty dumb, I know." Austin said.

"No, you didn't know. I'm just sorry it was wasted on me. You probably would have done better with just about any other girl."

Austin shrugged. "Maybe. Doesn't really matter."

"Well, thanks for trying anyway." Ally said.

They fell silent for a moment. Austin enjoyed being able to just look at her without being called out for staring. She really was beautiful, it radiated out from her like a light. He just wanted to be around her and soak it in.

"Trish told me about all your fans, but she didn't mention a girlfriend." Ally ventured.

"That's because I don't have one. I did a year ago, Cassidy and I worked together at the diner, but she moved to LA six months ago."

"So, you make music videos on the internet and go to school, what do you like to do with your free time? I mean, when you aren't bringing ice cream to girls?" Ally asked.

"Play music. Like the other day, that jam session was epic. I really want to do that again." he answered.

"Me too. It was nice to just play and not have to be the teacher for a little while. And you are really easy to be around. I didn't expect that." She admitted.

A loud sound from the doorway drew their attention and Austin saw a twelve year old girl there, her violin case dropped at her feet.

"Austin Moon?" she gasped, pointing at him.

"That's me." Austin said, a little nervously.

The girl squealed and danced in place. "You're _you _and you're _here_!" she squealed again.

Ally stood up and went to the piano where something had started buzzing loudly. She placed a hand on the bench when her leg met it, moved around it and felt for her phone sitting on top of the upright piano, found it quickly, and ran her fingers over the enlarged keyboard on the bottom. "Hi Kelly. Ready for your lesson?" she asked as she lowered herself onto the bench. This time Austin noticed how she ran her hands along the edges of the bench to orient herself. It was subtle and clearly her habit so the motion was small and now he understood how he had overlooked it before.

"But its, . . . he's . . . you know Austin Moon?" Kelly babbled as she retrieved her violin case from the floor and crossed the room, glancing at him several times as she went.

Austin got up and moved closer to them, looking closer at Ally's phone. It was a blackberry but there were some differences. He definitely wanted to take a closer look at it later but Ally was sitting down at the piano and Kelly was watching him.

"You know you're lucky to have lessons with Ally, right? She's amazing." he said.

Kelly stared at him and nodded.

"I guess I should go. I'll talk to you soon Ally." He promised.

"Okay. Thanks again for the ice cream." Ally said.

. . .

Wednesday was Austin's last day of school and that afternoon he and his dad went to meet with Jimmy Star. They talked about what needed to happen to get Austin started in making a record and releasing his first single. Jimmy's only concern regarding Austin had been that he didn't write his own music, and singer/songwriters were doing well in the charts right then. But the label had some good songwriters and Austin could draw from that pool to find songs he liked and wanted to use to form his sound. Jimmy told them he would send Austin some songs the next day and they would meet again Friday morning to see if anything was working out.

Then on Thursday morning Austin went to Sonic Boom, arriving just after Mr. Dawson unlocked the doors.

"Hello Austin. Anything I help you with today?" Mr. Dawson asked as he went around the main floor, straightening a few things to prepare for the day.

"I came to see if Ally had some free time to play some music." Austin said, stopped beside the counter. "Is she here?"

"Not yet. Her mother will bring her over shortly. Sorry you missed her." Mr. Dawson said, pulling out some paperwork from behind the counter.

"Oh." Austin didn't hide his disappointment. "Can I wait here for her?"

Mr. Dawson looked up from his papers and regarded the young man. "Don't you have school?"

"No, yesterday was the last day before Christmas. I'm off until next year."

"Do you work?"

"Yes sir. I work on the weekends but I didn't sign up for a shift today, so I'm free for once." Austin answered.

"And you just want to play music with Ally?" Mr. Dawson asked.

Austin nodded. "She's incredible. Was she always this good with music?"

"She has natural talent, but her skills were amped up by the loss of her sight which made her hearing so strong." Mr. Dawson explained.

"That makes sense." Austin looked around for a moment. "I really like your store."

"Thanks." Mr. Dawson replied.

The front doors opened and Austin looked up eagerly to see Ally walk in holding onto her mother's arm. Mrs. Dawson led Ally to the counter, gently taking Ally's hand from the crook of her arm and placing it on the counter two feet to Austin's right.

"We're here." She said and left Ally to give Mr. Dawson a quick kiss on the lips.

"Hey dad. Any customers yet?" Ally asked.

"Just Austin so far." Mr. Dawson answered.

"Hi." Austin said and Ally turned toward the sound of his voice, keeping one hand on the counter.

"Austin. What are you doing here?" Ally asked in surprise.

"I came to see if we could play again. You don't have to teach any lessons this morning, do you?" Austin asked.

Ally smiled and shook her head. "No lessons until this afternoon - after school hours. Wait, you aren't skipping, are you?" she looked upset by the idea.

Austin chuckled. "No. My academic record is safe. School is out for Christmas break now and I don't have work, so can we hang out?"

"Dad, will you be okay down here without me for a while?" Ally asked.

"Yes honey. Go have fun." Mr. Dawson said.

"Come on." Austin grabbed her hand, tucking it into his elbow and started walking toward the stairs and the practice room up above. Ally made a sound of surprise, but fell into step with him.

"Stairs!" Mrs. Dawson called out just as Austin was about to take his first step up. Ally's grip on Austin's arm tightened and he slowed.

"Sorry." he said.

"Just warn me about ups and downs, otherwise, walk at a steady normal pace." She said.

"Okay. Going up." He quashed his excitement for a moment to take the stairs slowly instead of bounding up them like he wanted to. It helped that he liked the feeling of Ally's small hand clutching at his arm. He could slow down anytime to keep her touching him for a while.

"Last step." He warned her and as he glanced at her he saw her nod approvingly. Then he led her into the practice room and straight to the piano. "The bench is right in front of you." he told her.

She released his arm and reached out, feeling the edge of the bench and then easily sliding into her seat.

"What is your pleasure today – more rock?" Ally asked, placing her fingers expertly over the ivory keys.

"How about we try some of those ballads you like so much?" he suggested.

Two hours later Mr. Dawson popped his head into the practice room and interrupted them. "Time for lunch Ally. I've got Bryce watching the store for a while, but I'll need you down there after we eat."

"Okay dad." Ally said.

"I guess that's my cue to go, huh?" Austin said and got up to put the guitar back in its stand.

"I'm glad you came over this morning. It's really fun to play music with you and it's nice to talk to someone new for a change."

"I like being around you too, Ally." he said.

"Since you don't have school, are you going to come tomorrow too?" she asked, sounding hopeful.

Austin smiled because she wanted to see him. "I've got meetings in the morning with Star Records and then the next two days I work the afternoon shift. My manager wants me there for dinner to draw a bigger crowd. But I am free until 2pm on Saturday if you want me to come over."

Ally nodded. "Only if you want to."

"I'll be here at 11." he said and watched her face break into a smile. "See you."

"Bye Austin." she said.

Austin spent the afternoon with Dez, helping his friend set up and film some clay-mation thing in his backyard. It was an alien invasion scene he wanted to submit to the writers of the Zaliens movies as part of a pitch for another movie in the ginger's favorite franchise. In the middle of it Austin stepped aside to take a call from Jimmy Star. The record producer had some songs for him to check out, looking to create the Austin Moon sound. He had already emailed the tracks to Austin for him to listen to and discuss when they met in the morning.

Austin left Dez to go home for dinner and then went to his room to listen to the music Jimmy sent him. There were ten tracks total, ranging in feel from rap to pop to rock to ballads. Two of the songs stood out to him as being fast, fun and danceable like he liked. One was called "Illusion", the other was "Heard it on the Radio". He ended up playing them several times and even began envisioning the choreography for them. That was a good sign. He took a closer look and noticed that they were both written by the same person, someone called L.S.

He played 'Heard it on the Radio' again, singing along, memorizing the lyrics and doing a few dance moves as the music moved him. At 10pm his dad knocked on the door and let himself in.

"It's getting late: time to turn in." Mike said.

"I don't have school tomorrow."

"But you do have a meeting and work. Turn off the music and get some sleep alright?"

"Okay dad."

"Goodnight." His dad gave him a pat on the shoulder and a look in the eye, telling Austin he meant business.

"Good night dad." Austin said. He turned off the music and switched on his bedside lamp before turning out the over head light and changing into his pajamas.

In the morning he met with Jimmy and it was agreed that Austin would record the two songs he picked. Based on those choices, Jimmy was going to find him more songs to sing but things might be slow since Christmas was only a week away. Austin felt good about everything they discussed and he went to work at the diner with a bounce in his step. His manager and all the customers seemed pretty happy with him too, based on the tips he got that day.

On Saturday Austin got up uncharacteristically early so he was eating breakfast while his parents got ready to go to their store.

"What has you up before 11am on a saturday?" mike moon asked.

"Huh? Oh, I'm going to see a friend before work today." Austin answered, taking a large bite of pancake.

"Dez?" Mimi asked.

"No."

"Then who?" Mike wondered.

"Her name is Ally. She works at a music store in the mall." Austin answered, downing the rest of his milk.

"Ally? What is she like?" Mimi asked excitedly. Austin hardly ever mentioned specific girls. He was generally busy between school, work and his music so he didn't date much even though girls constantly threw themselves at him.

Austin smiled as he thought about the cute little brunette. "She's amazing. She knows everything about music and instruments and she has this smile that just . . ." Austin stopped, suddenly self conscious about talking about Ally with his parents. "She's great." he got up and took his empty plate to the sink.

"I can tell." Mike said, joining his son in washing dishes.

"When can we meet her?" Mimi asked, thrilled.

"I don't know. She doesn't really get out much. I could take you to see her though. Her dad owns the store, and you guys would have plenty to talk about." Austin said. He looked at his phone. "I gotta go. I only have an hour to see her before work."

Austin gave his mom a quick peck on the cheek and winked at his dad as he rushed out the door. He drove quickly to the mall and ran in to Sonic Boom. He was excited to see Ally. He waved at Mr. Dawson as he scanned the store and saw the older man point upstairs. Austin nodded and waved as he took the stairs two at a time to get up to the practice room.

Ally was already at the piano. He knocked lightly on the open door.

"Guess who?" he sing songed.

"Hmm. Is it Liam or Jackson?" Ally wondered with a sly smile.

Austin frowned as he walked in the room. "Just how many guys do have, Ally? First it's Nelson, now Liam and Jackson; should I be worried?"

Ally laughed. "Austin, those are the names of some of my students. They are all under 11 years old."

"Good." he said, grabbing the guitar and sitting in the chair next to the piano. He strummed lightly, humming a song he heard on the radio on the way to the mall.

"I don't exactly have guys lining up to see me." Ally said. "Unlike you. I listened to some of your videos and the comments on them get a little steamy. You must have a date every weekend."

"Nah. That's just talk, and I don't read the comments anymore. After one of them offered to have my children, I was done. I can deal with screaming at a gig and signing some autographs after, but that's about all the attention I give the fangirls."

"Justin Bieber would be so disappointed in you." Ally tsked teasingly.

Austin laughed. "Yeah, I'm not in music for the girls or the status, it's the music. I want to be famous because people like what I do. If a song I sing makes someone smile or get up and dance, then I'm doing something right." Austin played a few chords and then frowned. "You know the guys aren't lining up only because they haven't met you, right? If you went to public school and people knew you, they would be lining up." he said.

Ally was quiet for a moment. Then she murmured a "thank you." before suggesting a song they play. They fiddled around with music for a while until the alarm on Austin's phone went off.

"Time for work." he grumbled and put the guitar on it's stand.

Ally stood up from the piano. "Me too. I'm helping dad downstairs today."

Austin went to her and slipped her hand through his arm. They walked down together and Ally sat on the piano bench, waiting for someone to need her help.

"I'm going to pick up some extra hours at the diner next week, but is it alright if I stop by Monday?"

"I'd like that. Good luck at work today." she said.

"See ya." he said as he walked away. It was another high tip day at work for Austin.


	3. Christmas Soul

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my overactive imagination.**

**A/N: I want to thank everyone who has reviewed – you guys rock! For my guest reviewers who I can't thank personally – you are so nice and I love hearing from you! And there are a whole bunch of people who are following and favoriting and you make me smile but I'd love to hear from you too. I really do appreciate everyone who takes a minute to read what I write – it's incredible to find out that you like it!**

Chapter 3: Christmas Soul

Monday, two days before Christmas, Austin went to Sonic Boom late in the morning to see Ally for a while before work. Mr. Dawson pointed him toward the practice room. He took the stairs two at a time and as he approached the open door he was surprised to hear someone talking. He wondered who else was there so he was surprised to see that Ally was alone. She was sitting on the couch with her head leaned back and her eyes closed as a man's voice talked about John Adams and the Boston Massacre.

"Ally?" Austin knocked on the door as he walked in.

She sat bolt upright and reached for the laptop he hadn't seen beside her on the couch. She quickly hit a few keys and the voice stopped.

"Hi. Hi, sorry. Who is it?" she asked.

"It's Austin. Is this a bad time?"

"No. I was just listening to a book. Please come in." she waved him over and then moved her laptop from the seat beside her and onto her lap.

Austin sat down next to her and looked at the laptop. "What kind of book?"

"A historical one about the beginning of our country. I'm still in the first chapter." she answered.

"Sounds boring."

"This one is written better than some so far." she defended it. Her fingers ran across the keyboard, gently skimming the keys.

"So how do you use that thing if you can't see?" he asked with genuine curiosity.

Ally scoffed. "I know; computers are only for sighted people, right?"

"No, I just want to know how it works for you."

With a few keystrokes the screen image changed and there was a blank word document open. Ally began to type and Austin watched in awe, reading her words which rhymed like poetry.

"The keys have braille on them, but once my fingers are in place, I just know the feel without trying." Ally began to explain. "If I go to a website or want to check what I've done, then I start the screen reader." She hit a button and suddenly a computerized voice was reading what she had typed.

"That is so cool!" Austin said.

"You try." Ally turned to computer toward him slightly and he typed something. The raised braille on the keys was a strange feeling, but it was a qwerty keyboard that was labeled normally.

"Make it talk again." he insisted with child-like enthusiasm.

Ally giggled then reached out, feeling the keys and hitting a button. Then the voice read out "I like pancakes."

Austin bounced in his seat a little. "I want my computer to talk!" his reaction made Ally laugh. "What?" he asked.

"My computer has always talked. I forget that it's different from other people." Ally told him.

"Oh, I don't want to make you feel different."

"It's okay." Ally placed a hand on his arm. "I'm not upset."

"Does your phone work the same way? I've wondered how you send texts and stuff."

"That's not a big mystery. Haven't you ever heard of Siri? She and I have great conversations." Ally said with mock seriousness. "And she usually even spells things correctly."

"Guess who?" a familiar voice called from the doorway. "And look who followed me." Trish added less enthusiastically as she and Dez walked into the room.

"Trish!" Ally said happily.

"And Dez. I knew I'd find Austin here." Dez declared as he sat down in the chair opposite Austin. "What are we doing?"

"Ally's computer talks!" Austin told his friend and he made Ally demonstrate again. The guys geeked out over her stuff for a while until Austin had to go to work. He had fifteen minutes to get across the mall and clock in.

"Hey, I meant to ask, what are you guys doing the next few days?" Austin asked.

"Dad is keeping the store open all day on Christmas Eve for those last minute shoppers, but we will be closed for the next three days, and closed on New Years Eve and Day of course." Ally told him.

"I'll be with Ally, avoiding cooking with my mom." Trish said.

"So what do you guys do for New Years usually?" Austin asks the girls.

"Our families get together at the Dawsons to eat food and play games. Ally and I usually end up talking and listening to music or whatever." Trish said.

"And avoiding your little brothers." Ally added.

Trish laughed. "Yeah. I just have to remember to bring those movies they like and we can distract them."

"So you are always with family?" Austin asked.

"Yeah, what's wrong with that?" Trish challenged.

"Nothing. It's just different. The last few years I've done stuff with friends. So do you guys want to do anything?"

"Yes, yes, yes, please?" Dez chanted, while bouncing on his heels.

Trish made a face at him. "I think we'll stick to Ally's house, thanks." she said.

"But you could come over too if you want." Ally offered.

Austin grinned triumphantly at Trish. "That would be great! Thanks Ally. Do you want us to bring anything?"

"Guys eat a lot, so you should bring some snacks to share with everyone." Trish said.

"I'll bring ham." Dez offered. "Ooh, and I'll probably be getting a few new movies for Christmas so I can bring those too!"

"I don't watch a lot of movies, they're either boring or confusing since it's a visual medium." Ally said, and then added, "but I do like musicals."

"It's okay: no movies. Just games and stuff." Austin said. His phone beeped again and he grimaced. "Gotta go to work. Bye guys."

. . .

The next day, Christmas Eve, Austin stopped by Sonic Boom at 2pm, a little before he had to be at the Melody Diner. Ally was at the piano on the sales floor, helping people with their last minute Christmas purchases. It's the busiest Austin has seen the popular store. He got in Ally's line and only had to wait for three people before his turn.

"Hey Ally."

"Austin, hi!" She reached out a hand which he took and then she scooted over on her piano bench to make room for him. She tugged slightly on his hand and he sat beside her with his legs on the opposite side of the bench so he was facing her. "It's so nice to hear a familiar voice. What are you doing here?"

"I had a few minutes before work and I wanted to bring you something. Merry Christmas." he said and placed a rectangular velvet box in her hands.

"You didn't have to get me anything." she protested.

"I wanted to. Go ahead and open it."

Ally's nimble fingers felt the box for a moment and then opened the hinged lid and felt inside.

"It's a bracelet. I wasn't sure. . ."

"Is this an eighth note?" she interrupted, touching the small charm attached to the fine gold chain.

"Yeah."

"I love it. Help me put it on?" she asked, lifting the bracelet out of its case.

"Of course." Austin said, relieved that she liked it. She lay the chain across her wrist and he fastened the clasp for her. His fingers lingered near her wrist and she placed her hand in his.

"Thank you Austin. I'm just sorry I didn't get you anything. Don't be mad." she said.

"I'm not. I just saw this and thought of you, I wasn't expecting anything in return." he said. They sat there for a moment just holding hands until someone cleared their throat.

"Oh, you have people waiting for you and I need to go to work anyway. Well, Merry Christmas Ally." he released her hand and stood up to go.

"Merry Christmas Austin."

He started for the door and saw Mr. Dawson was watching them from the center counter, letting two other employees ring up all the purchases. Austin nodded at the older man and wished him a Merry Christmas before he quickly exited the store.

Work was a little slow that night at the diner, but luckily the people who came in were feeling generous and gave nice tips. During some slow times, Austin's manager had him out on the piano in the center of the restaurant singing Christmas songs and even leading a sing-along or two with all the customers. It turned out to not be the worst way to spend Christmas Eve after all.

Christmas day was considerably more calm and relaxing as he spent the day with his parents and went to a family party at his Grandma Moon's house that night. He even received a text from Ally halfway through dinner and they traded texts for a while which caused his cousins to tease him the rest of the night but he couldn't have cared less. Ally was thinking about him, and that was a pretty good present as far as he was concerned.

. . .

Austin worked the rest of the week and even traded some emails with Jimmy Star regarding songs for his first record. The producer was anxious to have him start recording songs by mid January. Jimmy mentioned setting up a chat for Austin with one of the songwriters he favored so he could have some songs he was involved in for a more personal touch.

Before he knew it a week had passed and he'd only been able to speak to Ally twice on the phone and spent three mornings with Dez, messing with the new video equipment he got for Christmas. Austin was still determined to talk Jimmy into letting Dez make his first music video from the new record.

On New Years Eve Austin dressed nice but comfortably since he'd be with Ally's family and was still a little unsure of how they felt about his friendship with their daughter. He picked Dez up at 8pm and drove to the address Ally had supplied in a text a few days earlier. He parked in front of a nice, average sized house with Christmas lights still blazing brightly on the front. Through a large front window he could see people inside so he took a deep breath, grabbed some bags with food as Trish had demanded and made his way to the front door with Dez in tow.

Dez knocked with a free hand and the door was opened by a friendly looking man Austin had never met before.

"Happy New Year!" the man bellowed happily at them, then he called back into the house. "Anyone expecting two tall boys with food?"

"Let them in Javier!" a woman's voice called out and a moment later Mrs. Dawson appeared in the hallway. "They are Ally's friends. Come on boys."

Javier stepped back, ushering them inside and closing the door behind them. He clapped a hand on each of their shoulders and guided them past the front room, down a hall and into the kitchen which was full of people. Austin glanced around and saw Ally sitting at the table with Trish. Mrs. Dawson directed them in putting their contributions of chips, pretzels and cookies out with the rest of the food overflowing the counter and told them to grab a plate and eat.

The atmosphere was light and happy and Dez jumped right in, filling two plates which he took to the table and sat next to Trish. Austin followed with a more normal serving of food.

A twelve year old boy who looked a lot like Trish came right up Austin before he could get to the table. "Are you here to hit on my sister?" the boy asked.

"Uhh," Austin was speechless.

"Leave him alone dufus. He's our friend." Trish called out. "Just ignore him, Austin."

"I'm watching you." the boy said as Austin skirted around him, trying to get to the table.

He sat down next to Ally and breathed out in relief. "Who was that?" he asked.

"That's my little brother Miguel. My mom and other brother are over there and you met my dad at the door." Trish gestured to the room full of people. "So you guys came after all. I told Ally to give you the wrong address, but she's too nice."

"Trish, stop it. I'm glad you guys came." Ally said.

Austin noticed that Ally was wearing the bracelet he gave her for Christmas. He smiled and zoned out as Dez said something and Trish argued back. He popped a chip in his mouth and gazed at Ally, completely oblivious to everything else in the room. At least he was until a pale freckled hand waved in front of his face.

"Huh?"

"I said that Man of Steel was the best action movie of the year, clearly." Dez said, "But Trish thinks it was Iron Man 3. Please set her straight."

"Robert Downey Jr. is dreamy as Tony Stark. Clark Kent has nothing on him." Trish argued.

"Well?" Dez waited expectantly.

"I liked both movies, but I always wanted to be Superman as a kid so I'm with Dez on this one." Austin said.

The argument evolved and moved from one subject to another, entertaining Austin and Ally while they finished eating. The adults announced that they would be starting to play games soon, inviting everyone to join them.

The four teens opted out, heading for the front room where they could hang out on their own. Trish retrieved Ally's laptop and they listened to some comedians online, then set it to one of Ally's many playlists and let the music go while they chatted. Austin never was far from Ally and a few times she reached out to him, holding his hand while they talked, their knees touching as they sat next to each other. She seemed to like the contact and he certainly wasn't about to complain.

At 10pm they stole some junk food from the piles in the kitchen and they agreed on a movie to watch. Ally didn't particularly care what they picked, but she was getting tired and could use the time to relax a bit while the others enjoyed themselves. They ended up choosing The Hunger Games because Ally had read the books so she knew the story. She made sure Austin was sitting next to her on the smaller of the two couches in the front room while Trish took the large couch and Dez was relegated to the floor. They settled in to watch the movie and just a half hour in Ally's head began to droop and finally settled against Austin's shoulder as she fell asleep with one hand clasped tightly in his. It was moments like this when Austin couldn't believe he hadn't even known Ally a month yet. He was so incredibly comfortable with her and felt as if he'd known her much longer than he actually had.

Austin shifted slightly and gently woke Ally up when Trish's mom popped her head in to tell them they had ten minutes until midnight. The movie was just about to reach the most exciting part but Austin's attention was on the girl by his side. She lifted her head and let go of Austin's hand to rub at her face.

"What's happening?" she asked sleepily.

"It's almost midnight sleepyhead. Time to ring in the New Year." he whispered to her.

"Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep." she fidgeted slightly, looking embarrassed.

"It's okay. You can be my sleeping beauty." he whispered. Ally ducked her head into his shoulder and slipped her hand under his arm, cuddling into his side. He chuckled.

"Come on. Let's stop the movie and go watch the ball drop." Trish said as she grabbed the remote.

Mr. Dawson came in the room as they were all standing up and stretching. "Come on kids, let's all go in the other room." He came over to where Ally was standing and took her arm to lead her away. "Come on sweetheart. It's almost time."

The rest of the teens followed Ally and her dad back to the family room. Trish's mom wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they watched the tv showing Times Square in New York. Her dad poked at the younger boys who were barely keeping their eyes open. Mrs. Dawson took Ally's free hand and smiled over at her husband. Austin and Dez hung out behind everyone else as they all counted down together. They cheered at midnight and the families hugged while Austin and Dez did their signature "what up" handshake. Trish went to Ally and hugged her, motioning to the guys who joined them in a group hug. Austin put an arm around Ally's shoulders and gave her a squeeze as he wished her happy new year.

Then the party started to break up as a round of yawns spread through the group. The moms started wrapping up the food and the kids gathered up all the paper plates and cups to throw away. Ally sat on the couch, keeping out of the way as everyone else bustled around cleaning up a bit. Before he knew it Austin was saying goodnight and being ushered out with Dez as Trish's family made their exit as well. He dropped Dez off and went home. He said a quick goodnight to his parents and went to his room where he dropped onto his bed and fell asleep in his clothes and with a smile on his face.

. . .

**Please review!**


	4. Living in the Moment

**A/N: So for the record: amillipede rocks. I thought you should know that. Check out her stuff, chat with her, whatever. Just do it. Trust me ;)**

**Also, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to my faithful reviewers – you don't know how happy you make me. I love to hear from you! And thanks to anyone willing to give me a moment of your time in reading this.**

Chapter 4: Living in the Moment

The first week of January was busy for Austin. He worked every day until school started again and spoke to Jimmy several times. Ally's dad insisted she help at the store as much as possible as well so they were limited to phone calls or texting. At school Austin sometimes talked to Trish at lunch since they had a friend in common now. Austin respected how Trish watched out for Ally, and he was determined to win her over. He knew she was still a little suspicious of him but she seemed to be warming up, especially this week since he was so bummed about not being able to spend real time with Ally. Of course he was always happy to talk to her on the phone, but there was something about being near her, in the same room, that just lifted his spirits like no one else could. When he was with her he didn't have to explain or defend his music. There were so many things they just got about each other and he loved it.

Wednesday and Thursday of that week Austin went through some rehearsals with Jimmy's people as they prepared to start recording the two songs he chose earlier, along with two more songs from that same writer he liked: "Na Na Na (the summer song)" and "Got it Too". Between recording and listening to more songs while he rested his voice, Austin crammed in homework and studying for a math test.

When Austin was exhausted after only one week of school, Mike and Mimi had a talk with him over dinner on Friday night. They made it clear that if he didn't keep a B average in school then they would put a stop to the album with Star Records. That wasn't an option as far as Austin was concerned so he suggested that he quit his job at the Melody Diner. He made the point that he would earn money from his music and he promised to work hard on that. It was important to his parents that he learn the value of work so he could one day take over their mattress store. He didn't argue that point but agreed that something had to give and it would be the diner.

Saturday morning Austin went to Sonic Boom on his way to his last day of work. He hoped he could catch Ally and talk to her face to face for a few minutes at least. But when he got there he saw Ally on the sales floor, talking about xylophones with a family of 4. He walked over to the counter and said hi to her dad instead when he finished with a customer.

"Hi Austin. We got slammed this morning because I have a sale on. Ally's helping me out." Mr. Dawson told him.

"It's okay. I was late anyway and I have to be to work soon." Austin watched her longingly across the store. "Can you just, um, tell her I came by and I'm sorry? I'll call her when I get done today."

"I'll tell her. Hey, are you okay?" Mr. Dawson asked.

"Yeah, I just feel bad. I was really looking forward to spending a little time with Ally today." Austin answered.

Mr. Dawson studied him for a moment, then he nodded. "We'll see you later, Austin."

"Bye."

Austin gave a last glance at Ally working as he left the store. He was little less enthusiastic at work that day and everyone noticed. Then at the end of his shift he told his manager that he had to quit because he just had too much going on. The manager wasn't too happy about it because the truth was that Austin brought in a lot of customers and he was the best singer on staff. Austin apologized when he turned in his uniform and cleaned out his locker.

He was tired as he drove home that night when he called Ally.

"Are you alright Austin? You don't sound like yourself." Ally commented after he said hello.

Austin sighed. "I'll be fine. I just quit my job today because I have too much going on. I feel like I'm letting them down at the diner and I appreciated having the job, you know?"

"I know. So are you focusing on your music now?" Ally asked.

"Yeah. I really want this Ally."

"You can do it. You have a great voice and you are really talented." She said.

"Thanks." He said.

"I missed you today. Dad told me you came by and I'm really sorry I didn't get to talk to you." Ally said.

"I don't want to bother you at work."

"But Saturday morning is our time. I was so mad when dad made me work."

"Our time?" Austin began to smile for the first time in hours.

"I moved some of my lessons and everything so I can see you on your day off. Is that going to change now?" Ally asked.

"No. Saturday belongs to you now." He said.

"Really?" Ally sounded so hopeful and happy about that.

"Really. I need my Ally time too." he confirmed.

Austin was right, just talking to her cheered him up. He felt much better by the time he walked in his house. Several emails from Jimmy Star were waiting for him when he checked his email before going to bed. The producer had sent him a questionnaire to fill out and send to the songwriter called Lady Snow. Her songs had been Austin's favorites so far.

On Sunday morning Austin called Jimmy and asked if the questionnaire was necessary.

"Lady Snow wants the information to get a sense of you: what matters to you, what kind of performer and artist you are, some deeper things to make your songs personal too."

"Can't I just meet this person and talk to them? I'm not great at writing this stuff down, putting it into words, that's why I haven't written any songs."

"Lady Snow doesn't meet any of the artists in person. Privacy is very important to her and since she's written some of the biggest hits our label has had over the last four years, I'm willing to do whatever she wants."

"Lady Snow." Austin repeated. Honestly, he was a bit skeptical about someone who clearly went by a false name. That kind of thing simply didn't impress him. He was proud to be Austin Moon and he wanted everyone to know who he was. This person was hiding something and it made him a little uncomfortable.

"Ask some of the other artists who have worked with her: she's brilliant and they are happy with the end product, even if the methods seem strange." Jimmy said.

"Okay, I believe you. I just think I'll do better with a phone call or chat." Austin said.

"Email her the questionnaire and if you are lucky she will respond this afternoon. Don't ask her to meet. Just stick with emails." Jimmy said. "You better send it today because you and I are going to be busy next week and Lady Snow isn't just going to be at your beck and call. We need to get her some material for some new songs now so we can record them as soon as possible."

"Yes sir."

Austin tried to finish the questionnaire but had a hard time answering some of the questions. By noon he got as far as he could with it, so he emailed the digital questionnaire to Lady Snow as instructed by Jimmy and within an hour he had a response. Lady Snow wasn't satisfied with his answers either. Austin quickly emailed her back.

To: Lady Snow,

I've struggled with trying to write my own songs for years, I just can't get the words out. I told Jimmy this questionnaire would be terrible too. I still want to work with you, but I don't know what you want me to do. Help. Please.

From: Austin Moon

..

Two minutes after he sent the email there was a response. Austin eagerly opened it.

To: Austin Moon,

Are you better with people, doing things face to face, or do you still struggle with words even then?

From: L.S.

..

To: Lady Snow,

I'm much better in person but Jimmy said that wasn't an option with you. There's a special girl I met recently who is forcing me to be better with words, but I'm still new at this. Ask me anything, I'll try to find the words. I'll just pretend I'm actually talking to you.

From: Austin

..

To:Austin,

Tell me about the girl. That could be a great place to start. I could write you a love song.

From: L.S.

..

To: Lady Snow,

No, not a love song. I like things to be light and fun. I don't want to get too serious with this first record. I like loud, upbeat dance music, something to make people feel good and want to move around and sing along.

And the girl is beyond words. She's beautiful and smart and she has a light inside her. Anything I say about her will come out too cheesy, but just seeing her makes everything better. No love song would do her justice.

From: Austin

..

For the next hour Austin and Lady Snow traded emails so quickly it was essentially a chat. She asked questions, pushed and prodded and finally said that she had something to start with between their messages and the questionnaire. She promised to have something for him to look at in a few days. He thanked her and that was the end of his first encounter with Lady Snow. He texted Jimmy to let him know that he made contact with Lady Snow and she was getting started on a song. Jimmy responded and he was happy. For the first time that week Austin was able to take a deep breath and relax a little.

. . .

Every day after school for the next week Austin drove straight to the studio from school. He usually took advantage of the 20 minute drive to call Ally so he was generally happy when he arrived. He rehearsed and recorded the two songs he chose earlier on the first two days. On Wednesday Jimmy had a surprise for him. Lady Snow had written three songs for him already and Jimmy wanted him to hear them. One was called "I Got that Rock 'n Roll" and Austin instantly liked it. Second was "A Billion Hits" which was a nod to his start on the internet and that felt right to him. The last made him laugh a little, but he liked it too: it was called "Not a Love Song".

"Lady Snow works fast." Austin commented after agreeing to record all three songs.

"You must have said something that inspired her. This is some of the fastest work I've seen from her, and they are all great songs for you." Jimmy said. "I hope you can work with her again if this is the kind of material we get from it."

"You were right: she's a really good songwriter. I can't believe actual songs came from the conversation I had with her. It's incredible." Austin said.

"I'll send you the tracks and you can start working on these after we finish recording the other two tracks." Jimmy said.

"You got it." Austin said.

Austin started practicing the new songs that night so they could record them in the next week or two. The end of the week Austin worked on choreography with a dance instructor so they could create dances for his live performances when it came time to promote his album and have concerts.

Saturday was a free day and the first that he didn't have to work at the diner. He slept in and when he did get up, he just smiled at the cloudy day outside. He was too happy to let anything get him down. His parents were at the store already and had left a note for him. He ate breakfast and then drove to the mall, planning to see a certain girl he knew.

"Ally, it's raining!" Austin said, rushing into the practice room.

"I know. It's tapping on the windows and keeps distracting me from my homework." She responded.

"Then come outside and enjoy it with me."

"You want to be out in the rain?"

"It's the cool kind of rain though! It's a gentle rain and the sun is shining through the clouds and making everything shine. Come on." he grabbed her hand and gently tugged on her to get her to stand up. She grudgingly rose and followed him downstairs and out the door, holding tight to his arm as they exited the store.

"Isn't this great?" he asked and whooped to the sky. He stepped away from her, keeping hold of her hand only, his arms extended as he lifted his face to the sky and the falling drops.

Ally laughed at him and felt up his arm and across his chest to see his pose. Her fingers tickled at his jaw and he lowered his face to her, allowing her fingers to skim across his smiling face. Her face radiated back awe and delight and he couldn't resist kissing her fingertips as they passed his lips. She gasped and drew her hands back, surprised at him.

"Come on, you need to do this right." he took her hand and stepped behind her, pulling her arms out straight to her sides, turning her palms up to the sky to catch the rain. She tilted her head up, resting her head back against him, feeling the rumble of his laughter in his chest.

"See? Isn't this better than sitting inside trying to ignore it?" he murmured near her ear.

"Yes." she breathed, listening to the music of the raindrops hitting the surfaces around her.

The light rain didn't last long though and the sun broke through, falling on them directly and warming them. Ally shivered when a cloud passed in front of the sun and Austin wrapped Ally's arms around her torso in a hug. He gave her a squeeze and released one of her hands.

"We should go back inside. Your dad is giving me a really weird look."

"Okay. Lead the way."

Austin placed her hand in the crook of his elbow so he could guide her back inside but then he paused.

"Your dad doesn't like me, does he?"

"He's just protective. He hasn't said he doesn't like you and I think if that were true he wouldn't let you be around me at all." Ally said.

"Hmm. Okay." Then he took her back inside.

Once they were up in the practice room again Ally sat at the piano. She slid to one end of the bench and reached a hand out to Austin.

"Come sit with me." She said.

He did as she asked sinking onto the free end of the bench. There was just enough room for the two of them and even then their hips and legs touched.

"You said you can play piano, so show me." She insisted.

"Alright." Austin rose to the challenge and played something he thought would impress her. He glanced sideways at her and saw that her eyes were closed, her head moving slightly to the music. He loved how she responded to music. It was the only time she left herself completely unguarded and lifted her head. His fingers stilled on the keys as he thought about this. Ally's eyes opened again and her head tilted down ward.

"What happened?" she asked. Her fingers automatically stretched toward the keys as though she wanted to finish the song he hadn't.

"Why do you always look down?" Austin asked.

Ally paused and her expression changed. Her brow furrowed as she considered her answer.

"Right after I lost my sight some of the kids I knew from school came over, later mom talked to me about not facing people because it makes them uncomfortable. People don't like my blank stare."

"I'm not people. I like your brown eyes." Austin said. He placed his hand under her chin and gently lifted up so Ally was facing him. "I like this better."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. You don't have to look down around me." He said.

"I'll try. It's just habit."

"I know. I just wanted to tell you what I think."

"Alright. But you aren't getting out of this." She gently pulled his hand from her face and placed it back on the piano keys. "Finish the song – that is, if you can." She challenged with a smirk.

"Watch this." He said and he picked up right where he had left off, finishing the song with a flourish. He only paused for a beat, however, before he started playing the song again, but changing it slightly, messing with the chords and playing around. Ally's hands joined his on the keys, adding to what he was doing and elevating the music.

. . .

On Sunday Jimmy arranged for Austin to have another chat with Lady Snow. At 10am he received the first email from her in which she began as if they were in the middle of a conversation. She pushed him on a few of the questions from the original questionnaire that she still felt hadn't been answered fully. He opened up to her faster this time, knowing that she could craft something great if she understood him. By noon their conversation was wrapping up but Lady Snow surprised him. With her last message she included a music track and challenged him to write the lyrics for it.

Over the next two weeks Austin successfully recorded the three songs Lady Snow wrote with him and he received two more from her based on their second conversation. He happily agreed to record "Don't Look Down" and "Can You Feel It" for his album as well. Jimmy was now convinced that Austin's entire first album would be a collaboration from the two and Austin couldn't argue. Although Jimmy continued to run other songs by him, Lady Snow's were the only ones that spoke to him.

Secretly he also worked on the extra project Lady Snow gave him. He constantly hummed the tune to the music, and he had gone through sheets and sheets of paper trying to come up with good lyrics. But he was still struggling with writing the words himself. He tried not to get frustrated and decided that the right words would come eventually.

Inspiration hit late on Wednesday night as he talked to Ally on the phone. He was laying on his bed, relaxing in just pajama pants, enjoying the sound of her voice. He had one of those moments when you are calm and holding still and you become acutely aware of your own self and surroundings. Ally was talking about how she is only picky about the feel of her clothing, since she can't see it or anything. When she shops with her mom she feels the fabrics of things her mom picks out for her and that is part of how she decides what she wants. As he listened, Austin's mind wandered to the soft worn quilt he was laying on top of on his bed, the feel of his chest rising and falling with his own breath, the beating of his heart and how Ally could make it race whenever she mentioned how much she liked him.

Then it felt as if a switch was flipped in his brain. Words began flowing through his head so fast to the beat of the song Lady Snow gave him as a challenge. Trying not to be rude he quickly said goodbye to Ally, promising first to call her tomorrow, then he jumped off his bed and grabbed the first paper he found on top of his desk and began scribbling the words running through his mind.

_You know you got my heartbeat beating like that. . ._

An hour later Austin sat bewildered, looking down at several sheets of paper spread out before him. He clearly heard the music in his head coupled with the words he had written down. He wrote a song. He, Austin Moon, wrote his first song and he knew he owed it in part to two women. One was a talented songwriter and the other a beautiful young woman to whom he was growing increasingly attached. He wrote a song! And the song was good. If he wasn't exhausted and a little overwhelmed at the moment, he would have gotten up and started dancing. He could picture the steps and moves to go along with the song and he knew it would be great.

He wandered down to the dark kitchen and made himself a peanut butter sandwich. He took it back to his room and ate it while he typed up the lyrics in an email to Lady Snow. He was anxious to know what she thought of it but a glance at the clock told him it was too late and explained why he felt so drained - it was 1am! He saved it in a draft and wouldn't send it until the next day when he could record his vocals and send them along too. He closed his laptop, hit the lights and crawled into bed where he fell instantly asleep.

. . .

**Alright my friends - tell me what you think!**


	5. I Think About You

**A/N: I don't own anything. I think I'll go sit in a corner and cry now.**

Chapter 5: I Think About You

Two days later Austin's lyrics for "Heartbeat" had been heard by Lady Snow and Jimmy Star who were both very happy about the song. He would record it the following week, making it the end of January and the album was over halfway finished. Austin was on cloud nine and he wanted to do something special to celebrate. He wanted to see Ally.

On Saturday morning Austin arrived at Sonic Boom just after Lester unlocked doors for business.

"Hey Mr. Dawson, is Ally here?" he asked as he walked into the store.

"Hi Austin, she's upstairs as usual. She was up all night and is tired today, so take it easy okay?" Mr. Dawson said.

"Yeah, sure." Austin was concerned as he went upstairs. He heard the piano as he approached and knocked on the door to get Ally's attention.

"Hey there pretty lady." he said.

Ally turned on the piano bench and smiled at him. "Austin. I'm so glad you are here!"

He beamed as he crossed the room to sit beside her. She held out a hand toward him and he took it, squeezing her fingers gently.

"How are you? Your dad said you had a bad night." Austin asked.

Ally waved her hand in dismissal. "I'm fine. He's just a worrywart. I was up writing a song, I just couldn't stop I had so many ideas running around in my head. It was great actually." she said.

Austin relaxed then. "Okay. Good. You were writing a song? Can I hear it?" he asked excitedly.

"Nope. It's a secret project." she said.

"Secret? But it's me, Austin." There was a slight whine to his voice. It only made her smile grow bigger.

"You'll hear it eventually. It's not the right time yet." she said mysteriously.

"Fine then. I can be patient. What do you want to do today? I don't want to mess up your flow with a jam session."

"Let's go sit down and just be with each other." Ally said.

Austin grinned at her. "I'd like that." He stood up, helping her up with the hand he still held and they walked together to the couch. When they sat down Ally was close to him, her side touching his and she relaxed back into the couch, resting their clasped hands on her leg. She sighed contentedly and he leaned back into the couch too. Ally's head drifted to rest against his shoulder.

"You're really something, Ally Dawson." he said.

"You too, Austin Moon."

Austin released her hand so he could put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her back against his chest again. Then he took her hand with his free one and softly played with her fingers. He had never been this relaxed with a girl before and he knew what they had found so quickly with each other was something special.

"My mom is worried about this, about us." she spoke quietly. "You are the first boy to ever show interest in me and it's kind of caught my parents by surprise. It caught me by surprise too."

"Hey, I'm gonna have a soft spot for drum kits forever, because that's what brought me here to you."

Ally squeezed his hand.

"Can I ask you something?" Austin ventured quietly.

"Of course."

"Do you remember much, about seeing I mean?"

Ally paused a moment in thought. "Some things. I remember the shape of a piano, and not just because I can feel it now, but I think I remember how it looked too. Dad started giving me lessons when I was 4, so it's really clear to me. My house: I kind of remember how it looked, the tree in the backyard. The sky and clouds. I have an image in my mind of my parent's faces, and Trish's too from when we were small. I know they've probably changed, but I hold onto that. And I remember red. The rest of the colors are just . . . gone. But I remember red." She answered him slowly.

Austin took a deep breath, enjoying the feel of Ally's head resting gently against his shoulder, her delicate hand clasped in his. He wanted more of this.

"Is there any way that. . . I mean, do you think your parents would let me. . ." he trailed off, searching for the words, the right way to say it.

"What?" Ally prodded.

"Ally, will you go out with me?" he asked.

"Yes." Ally answered.

Ally's parents were a little harder to convince however. Austin talked to Mr. Dawson for a half hour, explaining that he would just take her to dinner at a restaurant here in the mall so it was close by, and if Ally wanted to leave at any time he would bring her back, no questions, no fuss. He knew about the clock-plate thing to help her out. Ally was on the phone with her mom, trying to assure her of the same things. She trusted Austin and knew he would take care of her out there. It was a little scary, but she wanted to try. She'd never been on a date with him before, and she felt like she could trust Austin. Her parents grudgingly relented and agreed to let her go.

By noon they had everything planned for dinner that night. Austin even programmed both Mr. and Mrs. Dawson's phone numbers and even Trish's as backup, into his phone so he could reach someone if Ally needed help. He thought they were over-reacting a bit, but also understood that this was a big deal for Ally. He wanted to prove that he could take care of her, and show her that she didn't have to be so afraid of getting out once in a while.

Austin left and called Dez. They hung out all afternoon while Austin waited impatiently for 5pm. He left Dez's place at 3 after driving his friend a little crazy. He had a date to get ready for. He went home and showered, then got dressed, singing and humming as he went. When he got downstairs, about to go out to his truck, his mom called out to him.

"Austin, where are you going?" she asked.

"Oh, hey mom. I'm taking Ally to dinner. First date." his face broke into the biggest smile.

"You really like this girl, don't you?" Mimi said, impressed with her son.

"Yeah, I do, mom."

"Well, have fun. You won't be too late?"

"No. Just dinner. Her parents are nervous enough about it anyway, I don't want to push my luck."

"Why are her parents nervous? Should I be nervous?" Mimi asked, suddenly concerned.

"No, mom. They're just protective, and I get it." Austin started to turn to leave.

"Hold on, how old is this girl?"

"She's seventeen, like me." Austin answered.

"And you know her from the music store. What about school?"

"She's home schooled."

Mimi nodded, thinking. "You told us she doesn't get out much, so this is an exception to that?"

"Yes. And I'll be so careful with her: I'll prove I can take care of her mom."

"Whoa, whoa. Why do you have to be so careful? There's something you're leaving out here."

Austin faced his mom and grew serious. "I know. I just don't want you and dad to worry too."

"Well, all this avoidance is making me wonder all sorts of things. Is it drugs? Jail?" Mimi started guessing.

"No! Mom, Ally is blind."

"Blind? Well, that's better than I was thinking." Mimi said, but paused as she processed the new information. "It is a big responsibility though, honey. Do you know the first thing about helping her? I don't. What if. . ."

"I can do it mom. She's special." Austin asserted.

Mimi smiled at her son and smoothed his collar. "Alright. You better go so you aren't late. And I would like to meet her sometime."

"Okay mom, I'll take you to the store to meet her soon. See you later."

Austin drove back to the Miami mall and walked into Sonic Boom with a light step. Ally stood behind the counter with her father. She wore a red top with a patterned skirt and her hair was pulled back from her face with a sparkly clip, leaving her hair to cascade over her slender shoulders. Austin smiled as he walked up to the counter.

"Hi Ally. You look beautiful."

"You can thank my mom for that." she said but she still looked pleased.

Mrs. Dawson came over from the violin section of the store. Austin greeted her parents and Mrs. Dawson said that he looked nice as well.

"Ready to go?" Austin asked, moving to Ally's side and taking her hand.

"I think so." she said. He saw that she was nervous, but determined.

"Don't forget this. Your phone is in the small front pocket." Mrs. Dawson lifted a black purse onto Ally's shoulder and gave her daughter's arm a light squeeze. "Have fun, sweetie."

"Thanks mom." Ally said. She slid her hand up Austin's arm, resting her hand just inside his elbow. "Lead the way." she told him.

"See you later Mr. and Mrs. Dawson." Austin said as they walked out the door. He was careful not to walk too fast, knowing his legs were much longer than Ally's and he didn't want to rush anything tonight anyway. Ally walked steadily beside him, pulling slightly closer when there was a burst of sound from a store they passed or a crowd of people. He liked the feel of her hand on his arm, the constant reminder of her presence.

Austin had called earlier in the day and made a reservation at one of the nicest restaurants in the mall. He had money from his job at the diner and he wanted to treat Ally to something really nice. When they reached the restaurant Austin gave his name and soon they were seated at a table for two near the back of the restaurant. Austin carefully led Ally between the other tables and helped her get seated. He sat across from her and smiled. He was doing it: he was taking Ally out and it was going to be great.

"You really do look nice tonight." Austin said.

"Thanks." Ally said again. "I'm sure you do too."

"You're the first girl I've met that I don't have to impress with my looks, but I still want to dress nice and do things right for you."

"Thanks Austin, that's sweet."

"I know I may not do everything right, or always say the right thing, or whatever, but you are special Ally. I want to make you happy." Austin said.

Ally ducked her head as she blushed. The waiter arrived then to give them menus. He held one out in front of Ally and Austin waved him off. "I'll take care of it." Austin told him, taking the menu.

"My phone has a reader for menu's and things." Ally said.

"I know: your mom told me about it. But this way I learn more about what you like and what you don't." Austin said. So he read through the menu items and they compared likes and dislikes and may have had a small argument about the virtues of sun-dried tomatoes. Finally they ordered, sipped at their drinks, and talked about school. Ally asked questions about public school and she told him about being home schooled by her parents and learning to read Braille.

Just after their food arrived a waiter was walking past with a tray of drinks. A man from another table stood up, knocking into the waiter who stumbled and a sprite ended up spilling onto Ally and splashing down in the middle of their table. Ally let out a surprised yelp and jumped to her feet, her hands splayed on the table to steady herself. Austin was on his feet too and he pulled the waiter to his feet again. The man looked horrified at what happened.

"It's just a spill Ally. We'll get you cleaned up." Austin said as he dabbed a napkin on her wet shoulder. "We'll be back in a minute." he told the waiter, gesturing to the table.

Austin grabbed her purse from the back of her chair and guided her back toward the restrooms.

"What do you need me to do?" he asked.

Ally was holding a napkin to the front of her top, looking upset and shaken. She shook her head to clear it. She ran her hands down over her clothes. She had stood up so fast that none of the drink had time to seep into her skirt, but her shirt was wet all down her left side.

"I have an extra top in my purse, I always have one in case I spill something. I just need to change." she said.

"Okay. Um. .." Austin looked around, the area was quiet. He knocked on the door of the women's restroom and opened it an inch. "Hello? Anyone in here?" his voice echoed in the room. There was no response. "Come on." He took Ally's hand and led her into the room, guiding her to the largest stall.

"Austin what are you doing?" she asked.

"We're in the women's restroom." he placed her hand on the door of the stall. "Just go in there and you can take off your wet shirt. I'll put the dry one over the top of the door for you."

"I need to wash my arms. I'm sticky." she said.

"Oh. Then come here." he gently pulled her to stand next to the sinks, he set her purse down and then he wet a few paper towels and helped her wash her arms off. "Better?"

Ally rubbed at her arms dry with more paper towels. "Yes. Thank you."

"Okay, let's get you changed." Again he guided her to the stall, helping her get her bearings before he closed the door. He thought he heard a sniffle from her as she took off her top.

"Ally?"

"I'm sorry. This is just. . . my mom knew something would go wrong. This is so embarrassing."

"No Ally, it's okay. This wasn't your fault. A man stood up and knocked over the waiter. It was a complete accident." Austin protested.

"Here." she held up her wet top to the top of the door and Austin took it, laying it on the sink. He then put the dry top he found in her purse over the top of the door.

"The bottom is toward you, front facing the door." he said.

"Thanks." she said again, still sounding upset. Austin heard the rustle of fabric and tried not to think about Ally without a shirt on just a few feet away. "Okay. I think I'm set." she said and the door opened. "Did I put it on right? It's not backwards or inside out or anything, is it?" she asked, smoothing the fabric of her black shirt over her stomach with nervous fingers. "Normally I have no problem dressing myself, it's just, I'm not. . ." she still looked shaken.

"No, you look great." Austin said, taking her hand.

"You don't have to keep saying that." she said, coming forward. Austin could see a tear on her cheek and he tenderly brushed it away.

"Hey, it's okay, I promise. In 5 years we're going to laugh about this. It's going to be our great first date story." he said.

Ally laughed a little with him. "I guess it can only get better from here, right?"

"Exactly." he said. "Hold on." he let go of her hand and pulled out some paper towels. He wrapped the wet shirt in them and placed it on top of the purse.

"What are you doing?"

"I wrapped up your other shirt. Here is your purse. Let's go back there and show everyone that a little soda won't slow us down, huh?" he took her hand and slipped it under his arm. She grasped his arm with both hands and leaned close to him as he walked her back to the table.

Two waiters were finishing setting up the table, complete with new linens and fresh plates of food as they arrived. The manager was supervising.

"Is everything all right sir? One of the servers saw you go into the women's restroom." he looked a little bothered.

"My date just needed to change into a dry top. I couldn't send her in there alone." Austin answered.

"But sir," the manager hesitated as he watched Austin help Ally into her chair.

"Water?" Ally asked quietly.

"One oclock. Chicken is at 5, rice at 7 and veggies at 12." Austin told her.

Ally hesitantly reached out for her glass and picked it up. Austin caught the manager's eye and waved a hand in front of his own face while staring, hoping the man would understand his poor miming.

"Oh. I, I'm sorry. I didn't realize." the manager started apologizing as he realized what was going on. "Is there anything else you need? Anything I can get for you?" he offered.

"No thanks." Austin said and sat back down. The manager left them alone again. Out of the corner of his eye Austin saw the manager berating the waiters however. He wasn't great at reading lips but he was pretty sure the Manager said 'why didn't you tell me she is blind?"

"I'm so glad my mom isn't here to see this. My family hardly ever goes to restaurants. That way if I knock something over, it's just my mom that has to clean up." Ally said.

"Well, you haven't knocked anything over yet, and now I know what the women's restroom looks like. I always heard they were nicer than the men's but I didn't see anything that incredible in there." he said.

Ally laughed. "I just thought the men's is dirtier because guys are messy."

"Not all of us, well, not all the time anyway." Austin defended himself poorly and Ally giggled.

"Oh, earlier you asked about studying together so we can have more time together. I was going to tell you that it probably won't work so well because I'm noisy when I study." Ally said.

"No problem, I listen to music all the time when I do homework." Austin said.

"No, its not music. I listen to audiobooks and lectures most of the time. And I have a program that reads me text on my computer. There's so much available that way and I don't have many braille textbooks to read."

"Oh. Hmm. I guess that's different." Austin said.

"Not that I'd mind having you around, I just don't know how well you could focus on your homework. And you have to keep your grades up so you can do your album."

"Okay, you have a point. And my album is going to be good. I'm excited about the songs and having new material." he said.

"Your covers are great too, there's a reason you are popular."

"Thanks Ally."

The rest of their dinner was uneventful and pleasant. They talked and ate and the waiter brought them a dessert the man who bumped the waiter insisted on buying for them. They were surprised and happily shared the slice of cheesecake.

When the waiter brought the check for Austin he was concerned: the receipt listed everything they ordered but the balance due was $0. Austin called the waiter back and he explained that because of the incident tonight, their dinner would be no charge to them.

"You don't have to do that." Austin told the waiter.

"Everything turned out fine." Ally added.

"Please come back again sometime." the waiter said and walked away.

Austin left a large tip on the table since they wouldn't let him pay, he took Ally's hand and they left the restaurant. Austin walked slowly through the mall back toward the music store. Ally held tight to his arm and he could feel her body close to his. Yeah, he wasn't ever going to complain about this part of being with Ally.

"Well, no matter what, we have an interesting first date story." Ally said.

"Yeah we do." Austin agreed. "I think the only thing I would change is you feeling bad after the drink got spilled on you."

"I think I'm over it now." she said and then squeezed his arm. "You were really sweet when you helped me though."

"Hey, you had the extra shirt to wear and I'm just glad you didn't ask me to take you home right then. I would have done whatever you wanted, but I would have been sad if our date ended that fast too." Austin said. "You are stronger than your parents think."

"It might not seem like it from the outside, but they trust me and they do give me a lot of freedom and opportunities. It's just dating that's a new thing, for all of us."

"Wait a second, is this your very first date, ever?" Austin stopped walking and turned to Ally. Her grip loosened on his arm and her hand slid down into his, maintaining contact.

"Yes." Ally said slowly.

"You didn't tell me that."

"I didn't want to scare you away. No one's ever asked before, and it's _you_, and you just get me like no one has before and you don't seem bothered by my blindness and I really don't want to mess this up." Ally spoke quickly, her nerves showing again.

"Ally, I don't want to mess up either. Because it's _you_, and you get me too." Austin took a step forward, closing the distance between them. He released her hand and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, enveloping her in a hug. Ally's hands slid around his waist and she held him tight.

Austin's phone rang and he partially released Ally, keeping one arm slung around her shoulders while he pulled the offending device from his pocket. He looked at it, hit a button and put it back in his pocket.

"It's Dez. I'll call him later." Austin said. "I guess I better get you back before your mom and dad start calling too."

"Yeah." Ally said but she didn't sound too eager to go. That made Austin smile and he gave her a light squeeze and started walking slowly. Ally fell into step with him, syncing with his pace easily. That's how they walked into Sonic Boom, where Mr. and Mrs. Dawson waited behind the counter.

"We're back, safe and sound." Austin said, bringing Ally up to the counter and moving his arm from her shoulders to guide her hand onto the countertop.

"How did it go honey?" Mr. Dawson asked.

"It was nice. There were a few surprises, but it was good." Ally answered.

Austin saw Mrs. Dawson's eyes narrow. "Ally, why are you wearing a different shirt?"

"A waiter got bumped and spilled a soda on me." Ally said.

"What?" Mrs. Dawson exclaimed.

"It's fine mom, I had my extra shirt so I just changed." Ally explained, no nervousness evident in her voice at all.

"How?" Mr. Dawson asked.

"In the bathroom."

"By yourself?" Mr. Dawson clarified.

"Not exactly. Austin helped me."

"Excuse me?" Mr. Dawson's face started turning red.

"No, no, it's not like that. She was in the stall, I just handed her shirt over. I didn't see anything, I swear!" Austin rushed to explain.

"Dad, he was a perfect gentleman. Everything is fine." Ally said.

Mr. Dawson didn't attack Austin, but he still looked like he wanted to. Austin lightly touched Ally's shoulder.

"I'm gonna go. Talk to you soon?" Austin said.

"Call me." Ally told him.

Austin grinned. "I will. Bye." Then he left before Mr. Dawson exploded.

. . .


	6. It's Me, It's You

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own anything. I totally sucks.**

******A/N: Hi everyone. Thank you so much for all the great reviews - I love you guys!**

**Oh, and I sincerely hope that I am doing an alright job writing about someone who is blind. I am not nor do I live with someone who is blind, but my life was touched by my step-grandfather who may have been blind but was anything but handicapped. He inspired this story and I've had fun looking into all the amazing things there are today for someone in his situation. I'm also trying to stay true to the characters as presented in the show. Let me know if I am succeeding or missing the mark. I really do want to hear from you - I am not just saying that!**

Blindsided chapter 6: It's Me, It's You

. . .

Austin spent the end of January busy between school and working on the last few songs for his album. Jimmy was putting more pressure on him and they chose "Heard it on the Radio" to be his single. Jimmy wanted to release it mid February so they could get Austin in people's minds and prepare for press and some shows later in the spring.

Austin talked Mrs. Dawson into letting him take Ally out for lunch a week after their first date. Only this time she insisted that they go to the restaurant where Trish worked which was fine with Austin because they served breakfast all day and he could have pancakes. Ally thought it was cute how excited he was about pancakes and agreed to have some with him. Together they ordered 5 different flavors of pancakes and tried them all with the different syrups on their table. In the end Ally decided she liked the coconut pancakes with their special tropical syrup best. Austin just said it proved to him that nothing beats chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream. But then he also said than any pancake is better than most any other kind of food anyway, so all in all it was a great time for him.

Their lunch ended up being a little crowded because Trish was constantly coming to their table to check on them and Austin's parents 'just happened' to come to that same restaurant for lunch. Austin couldn't be too mad at them though because they did stay at their own table after they met Ally. Mimi spent most of the meal watching the young couple, but Austin quickly tuned it out and didn't mention it to Ally in case she minded having an audience.

At last they were alone for a few minutes while he walked her back to Sonic Boom. Ally held his arm tight with both hands as they walked.

"I didn't know our second date was going to turn into a group thing." He said.

"I didn't mind. Yours was the only voice I was paying attention to." Ally responded. "And your parents were nice."

"They're okay I guess." He conceded. "At least we have some time alone now. Well, kind of alone." The other people walking around the mall weren't watching them like Trish and the Moon's had been all during lunch.

"It's okay Austin." Ally gave his arm an extra squeeze and he tried to relax. She was happy and he was happy to be with her. He just wanted to focus on that now.

"I wish I could hang out with you all day. My single is set to release next week and Jimmy worked it out for me to perform here at the mall. My choreographer insisted we work on the routine today because that's when the other dancers are free."

"I'm so happy for you Austin! I can't wait to hear your single on the radio."

"Me too. Will you come to my first performance? I can make sure Trish or Dez are with you."

"I'll be there." She promised.

"Well, we're back at Sonic Boom." Austin paused outside in the courtyard. "Now your dad will be watching us."

"For someone who likes being the center of attention so much, you haven't been very happy about being around other people all day."

"I like attention when I'm singing and dancing. When it comes to you, I want you all to myself. That's a pretty hard thing to manage so far." He said.

"Give me a hug." She suggested and he happily complied, wrapping his arms around her waist so she could put her arms around his neck. "Now close your eyes." She instructed.

Austin closed his eyes and rested his chin on her shoulder as he held her close. He tried to block everything out but her and felt that their breathing was in sync and her arms were surprisingly strong as she clung to him as well. She was warm, her hair was soft against his cheek and she smelled like vanilla with a hint of coconut from her pancakes. He liked the way her fingers played with his hair making nonsensical designs on his neck. Ally pulled back slightly and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek before letting him go. His skin tingled where she had touched him and he opened his eyes in awe.

"Feel better?" she asked.

Austin grinned and took a deep breath. "Yeah, I do."

"Good. Now I promised my dad I would work if you and I weren't doing something, so we better get in there." She said.

"Alright, let's go." He took her hand and they walked into the store and straight to the counter just like before.  
. . .

The next week Austin went to school and rehearsed for Friday night. He hadn't performed live since before Christmas because Jimmy wanted his focus on his new material and not the old covers he used to do all the time. Austin didn't mind at all because now his dream was coming true and he was going to be known for his own songs. Trish agreed to bring Ally to the performance and Austin arranged with Jimmy for Dez to film it and post it online to link his old work to his new with his fans.

On Friday night Austin peeked around a partition that created an improvised back stage area next to the mall's stage in the food court. Near the front and off to one side he could see Trish and Ally. Dez had set up a few stationary cameras around the area and was up front as well, prepared to do the up close handheld camera work himself. Austin had performed here a few times before, usually during the holidays when he sang well known Christmas songs, but this was his first time with original material. He was full of energy and couldn't wait for Jimmy to announce him and get out there and do his thing.

At last Jimmy took the stage and made his announcement, then Austin ran onto the stage with his guitar and greeted his audience. Ally and Trish cheered for him, Dez ran around filming, and Austin did his thing on stage. Everything just felt right as he danced and sang. The crowd responded well, getting into the song right along with him. All too soon it was over and he was thanking the audience as he left the stage.

Austin felt a special kind of high when he left the stage and was able to be with his friends. He hugged Ally and his mom who had come to support him. Then he was surprised to see that the Dawsons had come as well. They invited the group back to their store to celebrate with cake. Ally had insisted they have something special for Austin afterward. When he found out he hugged her again and wouldn't let her leave his side as they walked the short distance to the store.

It was a good day for Austin. He was with friends and family, his single would play on the radio tomorrow, and he was finishing his first record. He couldn't imagine life getting much better than that.

. . . .

The first week of February Austin was still riding the high of releasing his single. Not only had the local radio stations added it to their playlists, but "Heard it on the Radio" was starting to get picked up by other stations all along the eastern seaboard. The video Dez posted helped a lot in spreading his name and the song beyond Miami. Austin was in the studio re-recording the vocals for a few of the tracks and was putting the finishing touches on the dances with his back up dancers. On the weekend Jimmy had a mini concert set up at a local club. Everything seemed to be finalized for the record which Jimmy was planning on launching in April so Austin was surprised when he got an email from Lady Snow.

..

Austin,

I wrote one more song for you to help you celebrate your success. I hope you like it. Congratulations

Lady Snow

..

There was a song attached that Austin opened and listened to as he read the attached lyrics. "The Way that You Do" was perfect. He liked it immediately and felt it was a sincere compliment from the mysterious songwriter. Austin sent a quick thank you to Lady Snow and then forwarded the song and lyrics to Jimmy asking if they could add it to the record. By the next day Jimmy had signed off on it and promised some studio time to record it in two weeks.

Somehow, even with all of this happening, he was able to get everything else done. He did homework during and right after school and then met up with his friends at Sonic Boom. The music store became the unofficial central point of their activities since Trish was often with Ally when she wasn't giving music lessons and Dez went where Austin was to talk about videos and things. Austin wanted to be around Ally whenever and however he could since regular dating didn't seem to be in the cards for them at the moment. Luckily Mr. Dawson had scaled back on the amount of hours Ally worked in the actual store, something Austin didn't know the reason for and wasn't about to ask and push his luck.

Then suddenly it was Valentine's Day and Austin thanked his lucky stars that he and Ally ended up alone in the practice room with no Trish or Dez in sight. Ally had one of her love song lists playing on her laptop when he arrived. She finished sending off a text and invited Austin to sit with her on the couch. He held her hand and they chatted about their day a little.

A song came on that he liked a lot and Austin stood up, keeping hold of Ally's hand as he did so. They often held hands at Ally's request, touch was something that made her feel more connected to the people she was with, but he was the only one she constantly held hands with.

"Dance with me." he said.

Ally stayed seated and her face flushed slightly. "I don't know how. I've never danced." she admitted.

"Never?" he asked in surprise.

"I know dancing is important to you and Trish says that you are really good at it, but I've just never. . .I'm sorry." Ally pulled her hand from his, looking upset.

"Slow dancing is easy. Let me show you." he insisted.

Ally shook her head. "I don't know. I'm clumsy and blind, do you really think this is a good idea?"

"Please? Just try once. Give me a chance to show you how fun it is."

Ally nodded slightly and held out her hand. Austin took it and gently pulled Ally to her feet. He backed into the center of the room and pulled Ally close, lifting her free hand to his shoulder and then placing his hand on her waist. He smirked as her cheeks reddened.

"To slow dance you follow your partner: just hold onto me." he said. Her hand tightened in his and she grabbed a fistful of shirt on his shoulder. "And relax. I'll guide you." he promised.

Austin stepped back, leading her with gentle pressure from his hand on her back. She stepped forward hesitantly. He tried stepping to the side and she followed a little more easily.

"Trust me. Just feel and follow my lead." he said quietly as he took another step.

Over the next few minutes Ally began to relax as Austin guided her around the open space in the middle of the room. By the second song she got a feel for Austin's movement and started taking larger, more confident steps inside his embrace. After four songs he began to add a few things, a slow spin out holding tight to her hand, a dip at the end of a song. Ally's smile and laughter were bright and beautiful.

At the end of the sixth song Austin drew Ally close and spoke quietly into her ear: "Will you be my Valentine?"

"I thought you'd never ask. Of course I will." she responded.

Austin released her hand and caressed her cheek.

"I'd really like to kiss you." he told her.

Ally bit her lip and then gave a slight nod. "Okay." She whispered.

Austin leaned in and pressed his lips to hers in a soft kiss. Ally caught her breath and then relaxed into it, kissing him back. A thrill raced up his spine as her grip on his shoulder tightened and her free hand slid up his other arm. He was kissing Ally and it was better than anything he'd ever felt before.

They pulled apart slightly and Ally smiled. "I think I like dancing."

"Me too." Austin chuckled and put his hands back into the correct hold and they danced to the music filling the room. They stopped two songs later when they heard a surprised gasp from the doorway.

"Ally? Are you dancing?" Mrs. Dawson asked in amazement.

"Mom!" Ally's face flushed red for a moment, glad her mother didn't come a few minutes earlier. "Austin is teaching me."

"Oh honey, I never thought I'd see the day you could dance!" Mrs. Dawson cooed as she crossed the room to them. Austin loosened his grip on Ally and took a step back, suddenly nervous to have someone break into their moment.

"Slow dancing is easy if you have a good partner." Ally said.

"Yeah." Austin agreed.

"Well, I hate to put an end to it, but we need to get you home sweet heart. Daddy and I have late reservations and Trish will be over after work. Sorry Austin." Mrs. Dawson said. "Ally, let's get all your things to take home."

"Okay mom." Ally's fingers flitted to the face of her braille watch. As usual she was surprised by how quickly time passed when she was with Austin. For the first time she was bothered that no one realized she might have someone she wanted to spend time with on Valentine's Day. "Thanks for the dance Austin."

"Anytime. I'll talk to you later Ally. Bye Mrs. Dawson." He said and left the room. He was disappointed that their time got cut short but he had to admit that it had been a _really_ good time.

So he was pretty happy when Ally began texting him a few minutes later. They chatted for the next hour as Ally was taken home, her parents left and she waited for Trish. Ally even grumped that her parents didn't think she could have something to do that night and Austin reminded her that her parents made their dinner plans before he had a chance to arrange something for them. Her parents still wouldn't let him take her out without them being close by in case of trouble. Austin promised to make it up to her soon. Then Trish arrived at Ally's and she wasn't going to be ignored so Ally finally wished him goodnight.

. . .

That weekend Austin was the opening act for another performer at a large venue in the city. After his performance he spent time signing autographs for his fans and taking pictures during which some random girls hugged him. Trish brought Ally to hear him that night but he wasn't able to see them until after the meet and greet with his fans. When he hugged Ally she commented that he smelled strange, not like himself. She wasn't very ha[[y about that.

Every weekend after that in February and early March he played gigs. Some were out of town and he traveled a bit, always calling Ally to keep in touch. Dez traveled with him, filming and documenting everything. Austin made sure to spend time with Ally in the evenings during the week since he was gone on the weekends. Half of the time they sat in the practice room doing homework quietly when they weren't with Trish and Dez. Ally used ear buds so she could listen to things while Austin did his work in relative quiet. But once an hour or so he would get up and stretch or eat something. He always seemed to need a hug or a quick kiss before he could settle back down to homework though, not that Ally was complaining. It became their routine and their way of making time for each other in Austin's busy schedule.

. . .

The second week of March Austin turned 18. He knew his parents were planning a birthday party for him but was surprised when it was combined with a record release party set up by Jimmy Star. They wanted to surprise him with an early release of his first record and Jimmy had been happy to combine the events. His parents, Dez, Trish, Ally and the Dawsons were all there along with Jimmy's people and some fans who had been following Austin from the start with his online videos. He did an impromptu performance of a few songs with the band and dancers who were all in on his surprise. Then everyone sang to him and he had cake and was able to enjoy his party with live music provided by Jimmy's daughter Kira. Austin even coaxed Ally onto the dance floor for one of the slower numbers.

After their dance Jimmy came up to Austin. "I have to ask about this lovely young lady Austin. How do you know her?"

"Jimmy, this is my girlfriend Ally Dawson; Ally I'd like you to meet my producer Jimmy Star."

Ally extended a hand and Jimmy shook it.

"It's a pleasure, Miss Dawson. Are you the one he's always so anxious to call whenever he is out of town?"

"Yes Mr. Star, that's me." Ally answered.

"I'm glad you could come tonight. We all have a lot to celebrate. Well, I'll leave you two to enjoy the party. You be good to her, Austin." Jimmy smiled and clapped Austin on the shoulder.

"I will. And thanks again for the party Jimmy." Austin said and watched the man walk away.

"You called me your girlfriend." Ally said.

"Well, that's what you are, aren't you?" Austin got concerned.

"I like it. I've just never heard you say it before."

"I can say it more often if you want." He offered.

"No, just knowing you think of me that way is enough." Ally said.

Austin kissed her cheek and she smiled happily. Trish and Dez came over then and the foursome chatted while Dez ate his fourth piece of birthday cake.


	7. Better Together

**Disclaimer: you and I both know I don't own anything. dang it.**

**A/N: here's the next chapter. I hope you like it!**

**. . .**

Blindsided Chapter 7: Better together

. . .

The following week was spring break so Austin was out of school and had a few days to relax before he had back to back concerts on Friday and Saturday. He was hoping to spend most of the time with Ally, Trish and Dez.

Wednesday of Spring Break was the Dawson's anniversary and Ally suggested that she spend the day with Austin so her parents could get away and do something for themselves. Penny Dawson called Mimi Moon about it to make sure she would be home and that it wouldn't be an inconvenience to have Ally spend the day at their house. It was finally decided that the Dawsons would go for two days. Ally spent Tuesday with Trish and slept over at her house, then Trish drove Ally over to Austin's house Wednesday morning at 11am. Dez came over as well and the four of them spent the afternoon together hanging out in the Moon's family room.

Ally brought her bags with her to take home when her parents came at 8 to pick her up. In them she had some games to play and Dez practically begged to play Monopoly. So Ally pulled out her special Braille version of the game and they spent the next few hours playing. Austin grabbed snacks and drinks from the kitchen so they snacked while they bought properties and haggled and learned that Dez was a sneaky money hoarder who kept hiding money in his sleeve so no one could tell just how much he had. He ended up winning, but Ally was a close second.

By then it was almost 4pm and Trish and Dez left. Ally helped Austin carry the left over snacks back to the kitchen. He had loaded up his arms with a few soda cans and bags of pretzels and chips when she insisted she could help. He handed her some things to carry and she slipped her arm into his as he led her to the kitchen where Mimi was cleaning the kitchen and getting ready to start on dinner.

"Did you kids have fun? Who won the game?" Mimi asked them.

"Dez won as usual, but Ally gave him a challenge." Austin answered, putting the snacks into a cupboard.

"It's about time you found someone who might beat Dez at a board game." Mimi agreed. "How are you doing Ally?"

"I'm fine. It was really fun." She answered.

"Well, just make yourself at home sweetie and let me know if you need anything. And keep this boy in line, will you?" Mimi said.

"I'll see what I can do." Ally agreed and laughed while Austin huffed in mock anger.

"Thanks mom." he grumbled.

"Mmmm. It smells good in here Mrs. Moon." Ally commented. "Do I smell fresh bread?"

Mimi beamed. "Yes you do. I am making some rolls for dinner tonight. We'll eat at 6, so in about two hours. Don't ruin your appetites anymore."

"I can always eat mom." Austin said.

"I know, my growing boy. Although I think you are about as tall as you can get now." Mimi said affectionately. "So, what do you kids have planned?"

Austin shrugged. "I don't know. What do you want to do Ally?" he asked.

"Show me around?" she suggested.

Austin agreed. She took his arm and he led her from room to room, giving a brief description and letting her get a feel of the layout of the house. Sometimes she asked for more description of things. She ran her hands along the top of the couch and chairs, declaring them comfortable or not based on the fabrics, much to Austin's entertainment. She especially liked the curtains in the family room. Austin enjoyed experiencing his house with her, almost like it was a new place. Ally commented on smells also, noting that his parent's bedroom smelled like his mother while the bathroom smelled of his dad's aftershave.

Austin took her to his room last. She took a breath when they walked in the door and she looked pleased.

"This is your room." she said.

"How did you know?" he asked.

"It smells like you."

"Is that a good thing?" he asked a little uncertainly.

"I like the way you smell." she admitted and he smiled down at her. "Can I take a look around?" she asked.

"Sure. Do you want help?" Austin asked, surprised when she let go of his arm.

"No. I just want to explore." she said. She felt the door jam and slid her hand along the wall, just skimming it's surface. Austin stood back and watched in fascination. She walked slowly, taking cautious steps so she didn't bump hard into anything low to the ground. Her fingers lightly grazed anything that came into her path as she walked the border of the room. Austin was amazed by her gentleness, and how she didn't knock anything over or disturb things on shelves at all. She walked around his bed, hardly touching it at all and his jaw dropped.

"How did you do that?" he asked.

Ally giggled. "Beds are pretty standard and yours is the same size as mine. I know how many steps it takes." she told him.

"That's awesome! It's like you have superpowers." he noted.

"Superpowers? That's a new one, but I like it." she said and continued onto the second half of his room. Her foot found his drum kit in the corner first and when her fingers ran along the cymbals they rang slightly. She paused for a moment there, thinking, and then finished her circuit of the room. At the doorway she turned toward the room, concentrating, and then slowly walked straight forward to the foot of the bed. She ran a hand along the bedspread and then sat down with a smile.

"I was right about the steps to get here." she said.

"All done?" he asked.

"Yes. It's been a while since I got to explore a new space - thank you." she said.

"No problem. I like seeing how you do things. You make me think about everything differently."

"What do you mean?" she was curious.

Austin sat down next to her on the bed. "I wonder how things feel to you, how you picture them or categorize them or whatever, I don't know. But now I want to walk around with my eyes closed and experience it the way you do. I'm not making fun."

"I know that." she sounded pleased. She reached out for his hand and intertwined her fingers with his. "I've never met anyone like you before. With you I don't feel quite so blind. I feel like I can try things I've never done before."

"You've opened my eyes to new things too." he said. They were quiet for a moment and then Ally spoke up.

"Speaking of new things, I've never had much practice with a full drum kit before."

"I happen to have one that you can play." Austin countered with a hint of laughter in his voice. "Come on."

He stood and they walked over to the drums in the corner. Ally's step was sure and she went straight to them with no guidance at all from Austin. He helped her get seated on the small stool behind them and handed her the drumsticks. He stood behind her, guiding her arms as she reached out to tap each piece of the kit. He named each item for her and she listed back the sound each was known for which impressed him. He leaned closer to help her play a simple beat, her back was pressed to his chest, their arms moving together as one. She relaxed against him, letting him move her hands as needed as he demonstrated some popular rhythms. She easily guessed the songs they came from. Then he guided her arms through a fast and complex beat which made Ally laugh as their arms seemed to flail about crazily. They laughed together and one of Ally's hands went to her stomach, drawing Austin's arms further around her.

"Oh it hurts." She squeaked out between laughs.

Austin cleared his throat and released her hands, stepping around the drums to face her. She smelled really good and he wanted to stay there close to her. He decided to take a step back and clear his head for a moment.

"Okay. Now I want you to get a feel for them by yourself." he said. "Try and play the first beat I showed you."

Ally tried and missed a few times. She reached out with the sticks, testing her reach and the boundaries of each drum and cymbal for a few minutes to get her bearings. Then she played the beat perfectly.

Austin nodded in appreciation. "That was awesome! Can you do another one?"

Her nose scrunched up in the cutest way as she thought for a moment, remembering what he'd shown her earlier. She played the second beat, getting it perfectly in only two tries.

"Do you want to try playing a song?" he asked.

"Okay." Ally nodded her head with determination.

"That's what I like to hear." Austin grabbed his guitar and sat on the edge of his bed facing Ally. He did a little beat boxing to demonstrate a beat for Ally. After a few tries she got it down on the drums. "Now keep that beat." he said and she kept going. He strummed along with her, playing a popular melody. She grinned as soon as she recognized it.

"I'm doing it! I'm playing drums!" she said excitedly as she continued to beat the drums in rhythm.

Austin nodded his head to the music. "Yeah you are." Then a flash from the other side of the room caught his attention and he stopped playing. Ally noticed and stopped too.

"Mom?"

His mom was standing in the doorway with a camera up to her eye. She snapped another photo and then lowered the camera, smiling sheepishly at Austin. "I couldn't help it, you two are so cute!" she said.

"Mom." Austin whined. "You should announce yourself. It's rude to sneak up on people." he chided her.

"Sorry. Dinner will be ready in about a half hour. I guess I'll just go then." she snapped one last photo and hurried away.

"What's going on?" Ally asked.

"She was taking pictures of us. She's sneaky." Austin said. Ally laughed.

"Let's switch. I want to hear how good you are on the drums. I already know you rock guitar." Ally suggested. She stood up and moved to the bed. Austin handed her the guitar and took the seat behind the drums.

"Challenge accepted." he said and began a difficult rhythm. Ally listened, her lips quirked in a smile. She began to pick out a tune to the beat and they fell into their usual habits as they made beautiful music together.

After a while they paused and Austin nodded appreciatively. "So you _can_ play that thing. I was starting to wonder if the guitar in your practice room was just for show until I came along." he teased.

"Please." she scoffed. "I can play anything you put in front of me. Just like you."

Austin left the drums and sat down beside Ally. "I know. You're amazing." he said, suddenly serious. He placed a hand over hers on the guitar and she let him take it from her. He set it aside and then reached out, caressing her cheek with his hand. She leaned into his hand, eyes closing as she sighed and smiled contentedly. His thumb stroked her cheek and brushed the corner of her lips before he leaned closer and kissed her. Ally responded eagerly, kissing him back, and just as she placed a hand on his knee and his fingers slid back into her hair. . .

Mimi called up the stairs to them that it was time for dinner. Austin groaned and pressed a final kiss to Ally's lips before pulling away.

"We should go before she comes looking for us." he said.

"Okay." Ally nodded, biting her lip in the most adorable way. Austin stood up and took her hand to help her to her feet as well. He wrapped her up in a hug and dropped a kiss on top of her head.

"Lets go." he said. He led her back downstairs to the kitchen just after Mike Moon got home. The four of them enjoyed a casserole and the rolls Ally had noticed earlier. Mike and Mimi made small talk with Ally while they ate and Austin was happy to see that they got along pretty well. His mom definitely liked Ally, that was clear enough, and it made him smile. Austin helped his dad clear the table while Mimi kept talking to Ally.

"So, I can't show you embarrassing pictures of Austin when he was little, but I can tell you stories." Mimi teased when Austin sat back down at the table with them.

"Mom." Austin whined which made Ally giggle. He was holding one of her hands, their fingers intertwined and resting on top of the table.

"What? It's the age old right of mothers to tell way too much to their son's girlfriends and warn them about what they are getting themselves into." Mimi protested.

"Well, Austin's made it pretty clear what kind of guy you've raised him to be so you don't have to worry, Mrs. Moon. He's creative and kind and treats me really well." Ally said.

"Awww." Mimi crooned. "You need to hang onto this one Austin. You have her completely fooled."

"Mom!" Austin was mortified.

Ally just laughed and squeezed Austin's hand reassuringly.

"What are you two going to do with the rest of the evening? The Dawsons won't be here to pick Ally up for another hour or so." Mike asked.

"We'll just be up in my room." Austin said.

"With the door open." Mike insisted.

"Of course, Dad." Austin responded.

"Oh, I took the cutest pictures of them playing music earlier. Let me show you." MImi got up excitedly, searching for the camera. Austin took that as his moment of escape and led Ally back upstairs.

"Your parents are nice." Ally said as they walked into his room.

"That's one thing to call them." he grumbled.

She nudged his arm playfully. "Come on, they are good parents, and they care about you."

"Sure."

"And mine have never done anything embarrassing to me." she said.

"Fine, they are normal parents." he relented and slid his arms around her waist pulling her close. "I'm just tired of sharing you."

"Really?" Ally put her arms up around his neck and he leaned closer, slipping his arms around her back so their bodies were flush against each other.

"Mmhmm." Austin paused with his lips just a breath away from hers and after a beat she closed the distance and kissed him. In moments the kiss deepened and for the first time Austin got completely lost in another person, consumed by Ally's taste and the feeling of her in his arms. Their bodies melded perfectly and her lips were soft and inviting. He felt like he could kiss her forever and never want to come up for air. He understood what they meant now when people talked about drowning in someone else and he knew he would be a willing victim as long as he was with Ally. She was kissing him back with equal passion, her fingers running through his hair and her body soft and warm against his. Without thinking he backed her up slowly and when her legs hit the edge of the bed she said his name.

"Austin." Ally repeated firmly, pulling out of the kiss.

"Hmm?" he lazily opened his eyes as she pecked his lips lightly and pushed at his chest gently.

"Austin, wait."

He froze and his vision came back into focus. "Oh. . . I'm sorry." he pulled back slightly but kept his hands on her waist.

"Don't be sorry. I like this but we need to slow down a little." Ally said breathlessly.

Austin blushed scarlet for possibly the first time in his life. "I didn't mean. . ."

"I know." Ally said.

"I just got carried away."

"Me too. But your dad. . ."

"He can't kiss you."

"Austin!" Ally swatted at his chest and they both laughed. "You know what I mean."

"Yeah, I know. I'll behave." Austin let go of Ally's waist and grabbed her hand, pulling her with him to the head of his bed. He sat down with his back to the wall and had her sit next to him, keeping their hands entwined. They adjusted the pillows behind them and got comfortable.

"So, what should we do then, to make sure we behave?" Ally asked.

Austin laughed. "We. At least you are admitting you are partially to blame for what just happened."

"To blame?" Ally was astonished.

"Well, if you weren't so talented and pretty and such a good kisser, maybe I could control myself." he teased and kissed her cheek lightly.

"Just keep the other half of the blame for yourself there, mister." she bumped against his shoulder as they both laughed lightly. Then her voice was a little quieter, "You really think I'm a good kisser?" she asked.

Austin recognized her vulnerability underneath the question. "Yeah: really good." he answered truthfully. "Now stop that, you are tempting me again and I promised to behave!" he said lightly, breaking the tension that started to rise again.

Ally giggled but looked pleased with herself and relaxed a little more. They were quiet for a while and Austin played with Ally's fingers, stroking her smooth skin, tracing the lines of her fingers and making designs on her palm. Ally yawned and rested her head against his shoulder.

"Tired?" Austin asked.

"Trish and I stayed up really late. I didn't get much sleep and I think it's catching up to me. Sorry."

"It's okay. You rest. I'm good just being here with you."

Ally nuzzled against him and he lifted his arm around her so she could get comfortable. His arm rested around her back and her head fit perfectly on his upper chest just below his shoulder. Ally slung one arm over his waist and settled into his side.

"Tell me more about you. How long have you been friends with Dez?" she asked just before yawning again.

Austin told her the story and for a while she was listening. Then he felt her head get heavier and droop a bit. He just smiled to himself and settled back into his pillows a bit more, holding her close as she snoozed. He had meant it when he told her he was happy to be with her. And cuddling with her like this was just about perfect. Words ran through his mind, Ally's even breathing relaxed him, his head drooped and he faded off as well.

. . .

Austin heard something through the fog of sleep. He'd been having a great dream and he didn't want it to fade. But he realized it was a dream so it retreated faster and the sounds wouldn't stop. There was a flash behind his eyes and then. . . giggling? He was half sitting, half slumped against a pillow on his bed and the right side of his body was warm and heavy. His right arm was tingling like it had fallen asleep. Austin groaned in protest to the sound of low voices and blinked his eyes against the light in his room. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes with his left hand and then he saw them. His parents and Mr. and Mrs. Dawson were all standing inside his doorway watching him.

What? His mom snapped another photo and Austin promised himself to 'accidentally' destroy that thing. Soon. He was awake now and all the bliss from his dream was fading away. What were they doing?

Austin tried to move but registered that he was pinned to the bed. Then beautiful reality dawned on him and he felt instantly better. He and Ally had fallen asleep together after dinner. His arm still held her firmly to his side and one of her legs crossed over his leg, pinning it down. Her hand was curled up on his chest just below her face and he could feel her body rise and fall as she breathed calm and deep in sleep. He tried to stop the smile on his face since her parents were standing right there, but he couldn't help it. This had to be one of the best ways to wake up: with the girl he loved in his arms. Yes, he realized, he was falling in love with Ally.

Mike cleared his throat. "Alright son, we know you are awake. Time to get up."

"K. But my arm is asleep. What time is it anyway?" Austin asked.

"10:30 we got a late start coming back and there was an accident blocking the freeway for a while." Mrs. Dawson said. Right. Ally's parents were standing right there and she was still plastered to his side. Mr. Dawson didn't look too happy about that. He better move. Austin shifted slightly and stroked Ally's cheek with his left hand. He tried to pretend the parents weren't there as he tried to wake her up more nicely than he had been woken.

"Ally." he spoke softly and moved his shoulder under her head. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "Ally you need to wake up now."

Ally stirred and rubbed her face against his chest murmuring. "Not yet. Don't wanna get up."

There was chuckling from the doorway.

"Could you guys give us a second here? I don't want her to die of embarrassment like I'm going to in a second." Austin pleaded.

"Alright, alright." Mimi said, urging the others to turn around and leave. The dads both hesitated in the doorway and Mike made eye contact with his son.

"Five minutes." he said sternly.

"I get it dad. Just let me wake her up and we'll come right down, I promise." Austin said.

The men walked away and Austin breathed a little easier. Now, to deal with the beauty by his side.

"Ally. Wake up honey." he said. It was the first time he had called her something like that and it felt right.

"Sleepy." she murmured.

"I know. But your mom and dad are here. If you don't wake up now they might kill me." Austin crooned to her.

"Huh?" That one got through. Her eyes fluttered open and her hand opened and ran along the planes of his chest and abs. "Rumbly pillow?" she was half asleep and confused. He guessed she had no idea where she was yet. She was so cute like this. He grabbed her hand as it slid toward the waistband of his pants and placed it back up on his chest.

"We fell asleep Ally. And as much as I'd like to stay here with you, your parents are downstairs waiting to take you home."

"Austin?" Ally sat up quickly and despite the sting in his hand from loss of circulation, Austin kept his grip on her so she didn't fall off his small bed. "What's going on?" Her hands moved frantically around her to get her bearings, feeling the bed, brushing his leg and chest again as he sat up too.

"Whoa, its okay. You're in my bedroom. We came up here after dinner and you were tired. We fell asleep after you asked me to tell you about Dez." Austin said.

"Oh. I remember now. Sorry, I just, . . . I was having a dream and I forgot. Did you say my parents are here?" Ally asked.

"Yeah. All the parents were up here a minute ago. We better go down soon too or my dad may drag us down. Well, he'd drag me down and throw me out or something, he'd be nicer to you."

"They saw us sleeping together? Oh no! How mad are they?" she stood up and started to panic. "I've never done anything like this before. What do we do?"

"I don't know. It's a first for me too. But they weren't too mad. Well, our dad's aren't very happy, but our moms seemed to think it was cute. My mom took more photos."

"Okay. So we just need to go down there right?" Ally asked.

"Pretty much. Come on." Austin walked around to her and put her hand in the crook of his arm.

"I'm so sorry Austin. I hope I don't get you in trouble for this. I mean, if your dad is that mad. . ."

Austin stopped in his doorway. "Please don't take it back or wish it didn't happen because I won't."

Ally hugged his arm and pressed her cheek to his shoulder. He dropped a kiss on top of her head. "Let's go see our parents then." she said.

So they went downstairs and the Dawson's greeted their daughter and said their thank you's to the Moon's for their help that day. Mimi insisted that it was a pleasure, Ally was a sweet girl, and she was welcome over anytime. Mr. Dawson took Ally's bags and her mom led her out the door.

Once the door was closed Austin was left with his parents. He took one look at his dad whose smile was fading and he wished he could run.

"You aren't going to make a habit of this, Austin. You've never had a girl in your room before and if we need to set some rules then we will." Mike said. He was rarely stern like this because he never had to be.

"Dad, we just fell asleep. Nothing else happened." Austin began.

"We know that sweetie. I went up to see if you wanted some cookies about a half hour after dinner and you two were already passed out." Mimi said.

"Ally's important to me. You need to get used to her being around okay?" Austin said.

Mike nodded at his son and Mimi beamed. "Well, it's late. We should all get some sleep. See you in the morning." Mike said. He put his arm around his wife and they went back toward the kitchen.

Austin went back up to his room and changed for bed. After his two hour nap though, he wasn't ready to go to sleep just yet. He thought about what had happened and how good it felt to wake up to Ally. In all his 18 years he'd never thought much about his future outside of making music, but now he knew he wanted to share it with someone. With Ally. If only he could have her by his side every night. . .

Austin sat down at his desk and started to write.

. . .

**hey guys, let me know what you think! I didn't get too many reviews for the last chapter but if I hear from you I will try post another chapter in a few days instead of a week. Yep, I've been reduced to bribing you for reviews. it's a sad day. but the next chapter is almost done so I can back up my promises!**


	8. Steal Your Heart

**A/N: I only own my fantasies. Not Austin and Ally. :(**

Blindsided chapter 8: Steal Your Heart

. . .

_If I could stop the world tonight I would. Freeze this moment in time, oh if I only could. . ._

Austin finished typing the lyrics into his laptop and saved them. Then he wrote an email to Lady Snow.

..

Lady Snow,

I know I've said it before, but thank you again for the great songs you wrote for my first record. It's all a dream come true for me and you are a big part of that. Thank you.

We haven't talked about it yet, and Jimmy doesn't know about this, but I wondered if maybe we could get a head start on some new songs for the next record? I wrote some lyrics but they need a good melody and I was hoping you could help me out. Consider this a reverse of the challenge you gave me when I wrote "Heartbeat".

Email me if you have any questions or if inspiration strikes.

Austin

..

It was 1 am when he finished and sent the email with the lyrics he called 'Better than This' attached. The song was, of course, inspired by Ally and how he felt about being with her. Without even trying she was pushing him, expanding his view of life, and changing how he felt about and approached things. Knowing her had changed him and he wasn't looking back.

He felt really good about the song he had just written and he hoped Lady Snow would be inspired with music for it soon. The words ran through his head over and over and he went downstairs for a late snack and then forced himself to lie in bed in an attempt to sleep. Tomorrow he had to write a paper for his English class (what was his teacher thinking? It's spring break for crying out loud!) and then do a final rehearsal for the shows this weekend. He rolled onto his side and hugged his pillow, happily discovering that it smelled of vanilla like Ally. It must have been the one she leaned against before falling asleep on him. He fell asleep and held it all night long.

. . .

The two concerts that weekend went really well and Austin's fan base was steadily growing. Ally and Trish came on Friday night. After his performance on Saturday night he was headed to his dressing room when a twelve year old girl got up in his face with a camera and practically blinded him with the flash. Her name was Megan Sims and she worked for Cheetah Beat. Austin agreed to a quick interview as long as she promised to warn him before taking any more pictures. An article spotlighting him was published early the following week and it highlighted his responses to Megan about his friends and family being important to him and keeping him grounded and connected to normal things. The following Saturday he did some of those normal things by hanging out with everyone at Sonic Boom for a while.

On Sunday Lady Snow surprised Austin by sending him not only some great music to go with his lyrics for "Better Than This" but another entirely new song she said was inspired by his interview called "Better Together". Austin wrote back thanking her and teasing that this next record was certainly going to be 'better' than the last if they kept this up.

. . .

In mid-April Austin finally arranged for another actual date with Ally. His mom helped him pack a picnic lunch complete with pickles and, with Trish nearby working at the carousel, he took Ally to the park to enjoy a nice sunny day and a little peace and quiet together. They walked around the park and talked for a while before they settled down to eat lunch on a blanket spread on the grass. When they were both full Austin lay on his back and Ally lay with her head on his stomach. They held hands and listened to the birds and children playing, Ally enjoyed the feel of the warm sun and the play of a light breeze on her bare arms.

"Jimmy is working on setting up a tour for me this summer." Austin told her. He hadn't mentioned it to anyone else yet, not even his parents.

"Really? That's incredible Austin! When would it be? How long will you be gone?" Ally asked.

Austin chuckled. "Nothing is set yet, but he's looking at late July through August. It's nice not having to worry about school in the fall since I graduate soon."

"What about college?" Ally asked.

"I don't know. I'm not even sure what to major in. Music is the only career I've ever pictured but I know what my dad would say if I got a music degree." He said.

"You could still take some classes and get started on your generals though." She said.

"Mmmm. Maybe. Or I can take a semester off and finish another record. I haven't decided anything yet, other than doing the tour if Jimmy can arrange it." he said. "I didn't know you cared so much about college."

"I'm taking an online class through Miami University. I really like it." she told him.

Austin sat up so he could look at her, helping her up in the process. "What? You didn't tell me you were taking college classes. I always figured you were a senior like me or something."

"My education hasn't been exactly typical Austin. There are some formal schools for the blind and I went to one for a little while as a kid. That's where I learned Braille. But other than that my mom's been in charge of home schooling me and I kind of study whatever I want when I want as much as I want. I love learning new things so I completed the required work for a GED last year, before I even met you."

"You're only 17 and you're in college?" He said.

"Kind of. This in only my second online course." She said. "It's too weird huh? That's why I don't tell anyone. Not even Trish knows. She hates school so she'd never understand." Ally said.

"It's not that weird, it's just, you always amaze me Ally." He said. He scooted closer to her, placing one leg on either side of her and pulled her back against his chest in a kind of reverse hug with their arms intertwined around her body. "I have an incredible girlfriend." He said.

Ally turned her face toward his and he kissed her softly.

"Really guys? You're going to make out in the middle of a park? There are kids nearby you know." Trish's voice rose over the other sounds in the park.

"Trish?" Ally asked.

"The one and only. I just got off work but I'm not sticking around if you guys are just going to make out the whole time." Trish grumbled.

"We weren't making out." Austin clarified.

"It was just one little kiss Trish, calm down." Ally said.

Trish raised an eyebrow. "Ah, she's getting feisty because I interrupted a kiss. Nice to know you are human after all Ally."

Austin chose to ignore her comments. "Are you hungry? I think we still have some chips and fruit in the basket if you want." He offered.

"Don't mind if I do." Trish said, opening it up and pulling out a container of watermelon.

A little while later they cleaned everything up and Austin drove the girls home.

. . .

Austin found out about the final details of the tour the last week of April. He and his parents were at a meeting at Star Records. Jimmy had arranged for him to do a short North American tour from mid july through the end of August. He would make stops in twelve major cities across the U.S. and Canada. And there was talk about adding a few September dates as well. Austin was thrilled and his parents decided that Mimi would go with him on tour while Mike kept Moon's Mattress Kingdom open. Austin argued that he was 18 and his parents didn't have to worry about him but they insisted on this. Besides, he might not admit it out loud, but he would be glad to have a little bit of home with him since he would be gone for almost two months straight.

Before his tour all Austin had to worry about was finishing school, graduating and making the most of his short summer with Ally and his friends. He was really excited about the tour though. He would be playing smaller venues, no packing stadiums yet, but he would have a chance to connect with his fan base and hopefully build it up a bit by getting his name out there.

As soon as he got home from the meeting Austin rushed to Sonic Boom to tell Ally all about it. The meeting had been right after school and he got to the music store earlier than normal so Ally was still finishing up a Tuba lesson with a boy named Nelson who had been taking lessons from Ally for several years and seemed determined to learn every single instrument in the store. (And Austin was convinced that the kid had a crush on Ally as well.) Austin rushed into the practice room to a rather loud oompah from the large instrument and he froze in place.

"You are early and it's still my turn with Ally." Nelson complained when he saw Austin.

"Sorry. Ally I have something to tell you after the lesson." Austin blurted out.

"Okay Austin. Just sit down it will be a minute." Ally responded. "Nelson, please play the piece one more time all the way through."

It wasn't the first time he'd burst in on a lesson although it was something he tried to avoid if at all possible. He stretched out on the couch and shot a quick text to Dez. The redhead responded that he was at the pet store and would be right over. Austin cringed slightly when Nelson hit a wrong note, but thankfully the boy's lesson finished quickly.

Ally gave Nelson some instructions on what to practice for the next week as she walked with him toward the door of the practice room.

"See you next week, Nelson." Ally said.

"It's a date." Nelson responded, throwing a dirty look in Austin's direction.

"Bye Nelson." Ally said. She turned back toward the room and headed for the couch where Austin sat waiting.

"He's got it bad." Austin said, standing up to greet Ally with a quick kiss.

"What?" Ally asked, reaching for his hand and intertwining their fingers.

"He's crushing on you Ally."

"Nelson? pfft. Yeah right." Ally scoffed.

"You didn't see the look he just gave me. And trust me, when a boy makes a point of calling something with a girl a date like he did, its because he likes her." Austin said.

"Well, I already have a boyfriend so he's just going to have to get over it." Ally said.

A goofy grin lit Austin's face. "I have the best girlfriend." he said as he caressed her cheek with his fingers then leaned in to kiss her again.

"Awwww." Came a voice from the doorway, drawing out the word as long as possible. Austin and Ally hastily drew apart and Austin rolled his eyes at Dez standing in the doorway.

"Hi Dez." he said. The redhead stepped further into the room, carrying something in his hands. "What is that?"

"Oh, this is my pet Chinchilla. I was just over at the pet store getting Chili some toys. Wasn't I girl? That's right." Dez lifted a dark grey ball of fur about the size of a cantaloupe up to his face at the end and spoke to it as if it were a baby.

"I've read about those: don't they have incredibly soft fur?" Ally asked, turning toward Dez's voice excitedly.

"Yes they do. And Chili is an exceptional Chinchilla." Dez said proudly.

"Can I hold her?" Ally asked.

"Sure." Dez responded. "She's really calm and loves attention."

Ally sat down on the couch, holding out her hands in eager anticipation. Dez lowered the small creature into Ally's hands and down onto her lap. She gave a small squeal as she felt the small paws on top of her legs and her fingers immediately felt around Chili, taking in her size and gently probing underneath to feel one of the paws, giggling slightly as Chili snuffled at her fingertips. Austin watched her changing facial expressions as she examined the furry animal. Chili turned around in her lap and Ally gathered her into one of her arms where the Chinchilla cuddled into a ball. Ally giggled and stroked Chili's fur with a look of complete joy on her face.

"She is soooo soft!" Ally crooned happily. "Thank you for showing her to me Dez!"

"She likes you. She won't cuddle with just anyone." Dez said.

Austin's interest in Dez's pet and Ally's reaction to it faded and he began to bounce his leg anxiously.

"What's up with you? Dez asked.

"I have something big to tell you guys." Austin said, ready to burst with excitement.

"Did your record break through the top ten?" Ally asked.

"Did you meet Elvis at the skating rink?" Dez asked.

Austin gave Dez a weird look.

"What? I saw him there when I was 12, I thought maybe he came back." Dez explained.

"No, this has nothing to do with Elvis. And not yet Ally, my record is still hovering at 11 right now but my good news could change that. I'm going on my first tour this summer!" Austin told them.

They both cheered and Ally hugged him. "That's great!"

"Jimmy told us today that it's happening for sure. It will start here in Miami in the middle of July and will last about two months. I can't believe this is really happening!" he gave Ally another squeeze and Dez grinned at him.

They asked questions and he told them what he could about some of the stops. "You guys have to be there for the first concert. And if you can come along for a while I know there will be room on the bus. It's just going to be my mom with me so far."

"I'll talk to my parents. I can probably come until school starts." Dez said.

"I'll be at your concert here for sure." Ally promised.

"Ooh, I better go start packing." Dez said, jumping to his feet. "Come on Chili!" he took the Chinchilla from Ally's arms and hurried out of the room.

"But Dez, it's not for two and a half months!" Austin called after him but the redhead was gone. "Well, I guess he's excited too."

"I guess so." Ally agreed. "I hope he can go with you: you two will have so much fun out there."

"I know it would probably be too much to ask your parents to let you come along too." Austin said, regret clear in his voice. "But maybe they'll let me take you to my Prom instead. What do you say?" he asked hopefully.

"You're asking me to Prom?" Ally asked in surprise.

"I am. I know you've never been to a school dance or anything and it's time we changed that. Plus it's one of those last great school experiences before graduation and I won't go unless I can take my girlfriend." Austin said.

"Of course I'll go. Thank you Austin!" Ally hugged him again and Austin held her tight, and maybe a little longer than necessary, but she wasn't complaining.

. . .

Two weeks later Austin arrived at Ally's house to pick up his Prom date. Penny had taken Ally and Trish shopping for their dresses last week and Ally had been buzzing about the dance ever since Austin asked. They were going in a group with Trish and her date Trent, as well as Dez and his date Mandy. Austin insisted on paying for a limo for the group and Ally was their last stop.

Mr. Dawson opened the door and Penny led Ally over to him. When Austin saw her his eyes went wide. She was wearing a floor length midnight blue dress with a sweetheart neckline and tiny capped sleeves. Her hair was curled and pulled up like on their first date and she was radiant.

"Wow." Was all Austin said.

"Close your mouth son, and try not to drool on the carpet." Mr. Dawson teased him.

"Okay." Austin said in a little bit of daze as he took Ally's hand and slipped it through his arm. "You are always pretty but tonight you look incredible." He told her.

Ally blushed and murmured a thank you and asked him if he could carry her phone which he slipped into his pocket. Penny took a few pictures of them. Then she whispered "Can we go now?"

"Yeah. Let's go." He said.

"Have her home by midnight." Mr. Dawson said as they started to walk away. Austin may have agreed, he couldn't remember, or really think straight as he walked Ally out to the limo with a smile plastered to his face.

The limo ride was short and filled with Trent trying to ask Austin questions about breaking into the music scene. And Dez kept cracking jokes and making his date Mandy giggle. But Austin's attention was all on Ally. He couldn't believe this amazing girl was with him.

The school gym was decorated with balloons and streamers and music reverberated through the air. Ally admitted that the sound was a little overwhelming and Austin promised to keep her close so she didn't have to worry about anything other than having fun. As they made their way across the room several people called out hello's.

Before Austin could get Ally on the dance floor, a guy from Austin's biology class named Ethan came up to them.

"So, who is this Austin? I haven't seen her around school. She's cute." Ethan asked, checking out Ally.

"Ethan, this is my girlfriend Ally, Ally this is Ethan." Austin made the introductions.

"Nice to meet you." Ally said.

"You too. Hey, if you ever get tired of Moon here, just give me a call." Ethan said.

"Seriously? You're hitting on my date?" Austin asked.

"I'm flattered Ethan, but I'm with Austin." Ally said.

"Yeah, you heard her: she's with me." Austin repeated loudly.

Ethan put his hands up and backed off. "Okay, I get it. See you later."

"Bye." Austin said none too kindly.

Ally gave his arm a squeeze. "Jealous?" she teased.

"I always told you guys would be all over you if they met you." he said, placing a kiss on her temple. "Dance with me?" he asked.

"Of course." She answered with a smile. He led her onto the floor for a slow dance and held her close.

After several slow songs the music sped up and they went to the side of the room where a few tables were set up next to a buffet with snacks and punch. Austin got them something to drink and they sat down with Trish and Trent.

Trent leaned toward Austin eagerly. "What can I do to become one of your backup dancers?"

"I'm not in charge of choosing the dancers, that's done by the show director and choreographer. I think there's a dance studio they work with a lot and get the dancers there." Austin said.

"Let's go dance Trent." Trish suggested.

He waved her off. "Hold on. What's the name of the studio?" Trent asked.

"I don't remember." Austin glanced at Trish whose arms were folded and she looked upset.

"So Austin, how were you discovered?" Trent asked, undaunted.

"Well, I've been putting music videos online for a few years with Dez's help and then a record producer was at a birthday party I played last year. The rest is history." Austin answered as quickly as he could. Trish was getting angry and Austin didn't want to push her any further. The music changed and he jumped at the chance.

"Hey, it's a slow song! What do you say Ally: are you up to more dancing?" he asked standing up quickly.

"Sure." Ally responded, rising and letting Austin lead her back onto the floor. Luckily Trent took the hint and brought Trish onto the dance floor as well. But he stayed close to Austin and tried to keep talking.

"I was thinking maybe you could mention me to your producer, you know, put in a good word for me or something. I'm the total package: I sing and dance like you and I can act. I've been doing local theater since I was ten." Trent said.

"Trent, look, I hope you get a lucky break someday too, but tonight I just really want to enjoy Prom with Ally."

Trent's face hardened and he nodded, no longer dancing at all. "I get it. You won't mention me to your producer because you don't want the competition. You're afraid I'll be better than you and steal your fans, right?"

"What?" Austin asked.

"Trent, what is your problem?" Trish asked.

"Ask Austin. He's intimidated by me, huh Moon?" he released Trish and stepped closer to Austin in a threatening way. Austin pushed Ally behind him and faced Trent, enjoying his 2 inch height advantage.

"What's going on?" Ally sounded scared as she placed her hands on Austin's back to keep contact.

"You're scaring my girlfriend and that is not okay. You need to go cool off." Austin said forcefully. Several couples dancing near them had stopped now and were paying attention.

"No, I think I need to show you what a _real_ performer can do." Trent said and then yelled so more people could hear him. "I challenge Austin Moon to a dance off."

"You have a record and a tour. You don't have anything to prove to him." Ally said.

"No I don't." Austin agreed. He saw Dez coming their way, drawn by Trent's yelling.

"Hear that everybody? Austin Moon is backing out because he's scared." Trent announced to the audience of students around them watching the drama unfold.

"Let it go Trent." Trish pulled at his arm and he ripped it away from her angrily.

"Shut up Tracy! I'm busy." Trent snarled.

Trish took a step back in shock. "My name is Trish. Why did you even ask me to Prom?"

Trent faced her and shrugged at her with arms open wide, unapologetic. "You know Austin Moon. I found out you would be in his group and I wanted to talk to him."

"You just used me then." Trish said.

Austin stepped forward. "No one treats my friends like that." he cringed inwardly when he felt Ally's hand grasp his sleeve.

"So?" Trent challenged.

"Do it Austin. Do it for me." Trish said coming to his side. "You are a great dancer and a better guy. Humiliate that jerk."

"Hmph. Nobody's a better dancer than Austin." Dez confirmed.

Austin turned to Ally and and placed his hands on her shoulders, leaning closer to speak softly in her ear. "I'll be right back. Stay here with Trish and Dez."

"Okay." she agreed.

Austin looked to Trish who stepped over and slipped her arm through Ally's. Only then did he turn away to face Trent.

"Let's do this." Austin replied.

During the argument the music had changed to a song with a fast beat. Both of them took off their tux jackets as they circled each other, facing off. Dez took Austin's jacket. Trent's was dropped on the ground. Trent dove in first, spinning and dancing in the open space the crowd had made for the dance off in the middle of the dance floor. Austin took the spotlight then, dancing and doing tricks. The two of them took turns, dancing back and forth with the crowd cheering them on until Austin did some flips and Trent stumbled back out of the circle into the crowd of bodies. The crowd started to chant Austin's name and Trent pushed his way back to the edge of the circle where he grabbed his jacket from the floor and scowled at Austin who stood in the middle of the circle with his arms raised, smiling and cheering with the crowd.

"Find your own ride home. And don't ever talk to me again." Trish shouted at him from across the circle. Some kids between them let out and 'ooooh' and Trent turned and vanished into the crowd.

Austin finished celebrating with some high fives to people as they dispersed and he went to Ally and hugged her. Dez patted him on the back before turning back to his date Mandy.

"Thanks for doing that for Trish." she said to him.

"Hey, like I said; no one treats my friends like that." Austin answered. They stayed on the dance floor and Austin started to teach Ally some salsa moves that matched the faster music. Trish was busy talking to some other kids and Dez and Mandy looked like they were doing a bad imitation of Latin ballroom dancers in competition, making faces and waving their arms around in exaggerated moves.

When the music slowed down again a boy Austin knew from school walked up to them and cleared his throat nervously.

"Hi Dallas." Austin said and introduced him to Ally.

"I was wondering if I could dance with Ally." Dallas said.

"Okay." Ally agreed.

Austin was surprised but he passed Ally's hand to the other boy and stepped back. He watched as they began to dance and then someone tapped his shoulder. He turned to Trish who held her hands out.

"What do you say?" she asked.

Austin smiled and they began dancing, both of them keeping an eye on Ally and Dallas who were not far away.

"You really came through for me tonight, standing up to that jerk. Thanks." Trish said.

"You deserve a better date than him." Austin said.

"I know that. I won't fall for a pretty face so easily again." she said.

"Tell me not to be jealous." Austin muttered, watching Dallas fumble through his slow dance with Ally.

"Possessive much?" Trish teased him.

"No! It's just, it's _Ally_. No one's ever gotten to me like she has." Austin said.

They turned so Trish could see Ally and her partner now. She cringed as Dallas stepped on Ally's toes. "I don't think you have anything to worry about. Ally likes you a lot too. You know, when you first came into her life I wasn't sure what to think of you. To be honest I was afraid you were just going to mess around with her, get bored, and leave in a few weeks. But you proved me wrong and for once I don't mind. You are good to her."

"She's lucky to have a friend like you watching out for her."

"Thanks." Trish said.

When the dance ended Dallas brought Ally back to Austin.

"Thanks Ally." Dallas said shyly and then left.

Ally reached out and Austin automatically lifted his hand to meet hers. Touching her, holding her hand, was becoming second nature to him and was just something that happened when they were together. She intertwined her fingers with his and stepped close to him. She breathed deep and smiled softly.

"How was your dance?" he asked with only a slight edge to his voice.

"Awkward, a little strange, and painful." she summed up but smiled despite her words.

"Why do you look so happy about it then?" Austin asked, intrigued. The dj announced the last slow song and they began swaying to the music.

"It was kind of an experiment, something I needed to find out." Ally answered.

"What do you mean?"

"I wanted something to compare you to. You are the only guy I've ever dated, danced with or kissed. So I wanted to see how different it would be with someone else."

"You didn't kiss him did you?" Austin was sure he didn't see that happen.

"No! I don't kiss random guys while I'm on a date with my boyfriend. You know what I meant."

"You scared me for a second there."

"My lips are yours and yours alone." Ally said.

"Mmm. I'll keep that in mind." Austin replied.

Ally swatted his shoulder playfully but she still smiled and looked pleased with his response.

"So what did you learn from your dance?" Austin asked. He pulled Ally close, resting his head lightly against hers as they swayed to the music.

"Well, he's not as good a dancer as you are, but apparently no one is. I have the best dancing partner here tonight." Ally said.

"Well, that's true." Austin said.

"So humble. Hmm, he stepped on my toes and wasn't as sure of himself as you are. It turns out I really like your confidence. He told me he works at the mall and has seen me inside Sonic Boom but never dared to talk to me. It's kind of sweet and a little creepy. And it makes me glad that you just came up and talked to me the way you did. He was so worried about my blindness. He kept asking questions and he was just so nervous and worried. I've always been surprised and happy about how you handle my situation, but right now I realize just how great that is. So, you really have nothing to worry about. This, what we have, is just so easy and natural. It always has been."

Austin turned his head and leaned down to capture her lips in a kiss. Words failed him at that moment but there were other ways to communicate. The kiss was soft and lingering and it left Ally feeling slightly lightheaded. Austin smiled down at her and hugged her tight as the song ended.

The dj told them Prom was now over and to be safe. Dez, Mandy and Trish all came over to them and Austin reluctantly released Ally from his arms, keeping her hand in his of course. They walked out to the parking lot where the limo was waiting as planned. The five of them piled in and relaxed into the seats. Trish and Mandy slipped off their shoes and rested their tired feet. Ally was glad she had an excuse not to wear extremely high heels. They were all hungry so Austin told the driver to stop when they saw a restaurant they liked. They went inside, helping Trish to stuff her poofy dress into the large round booth they chose to sit in. They ate and talked and toasted Austin's defeat of evil fake prom date Trent by clinking their glasses of sprite together.

By the time they finished and got back into the limo it was 11:30 and everyone had to get home so they started by dropping Mandy off first. Next was Dez then Trish and finally Austin was walking Ally up to her front door.

"It was a great night Austin. I never thought I would go to Prom or anything like it. This was perfect." Ally said.

"You made it perfect." Austin had glimpsed the silhouette of one of her parents watching from the front window so he pulled Ally into a hug and gave her another soft lingering kiss like at the dance. Nothing that would embarrass Ally or her parents.

"I really like kissing you." Ally murmured as he pulled away.

"Ditto." Austin replied.

The front door opened and Mr. Dawson ushered Ally inside, bidding Austin goodnight and closing the door. The best prom in the history of the world was over and Austin went home to dream about his girlfriend.

. . .

**So, some familiar stuff here. I'm just exploring the characters if their situation was a little different. Am I doing okay staying close to the characters in the show? Tell me what you think!**


	9. Summer Song

**Disclaimer: I swear I don't own or make money from Austin and Ally. They are simply too much fun to leave alone.**

**A/N: Thank you so much to my faithful reviewers - you guys rock! And my sincere thanks to everyone who takes time to read this story. I truly hope you do enjoy it.**

. . .

Chapter 9: The Summer Song

Austin went into the last month of school flying. His album was doing well on the charts, tickets were selling for his tour, his school work was under control, he was set to graduate, and Ally was his.

Ever since his challenge to Lady Snow to write music for "Better Than This" the two of them had continued to work on music for his second record. She wrote a song called "Living in the Moment" for him which he planned on recording with the others when he got back into the studio. During a chat with her in late May Austin admitted that he wanted to write a song for his girlfriend, not indirectly like some of the others, but really about her. He already had some ideas for the lyrics. Over the course of an afternoon they hammered out lyrics and Lady Snow sent snippets of melody his way until he was satisfied and they wrote a song called "No Ordinary Day" about the day he met Ally. He wanted it to be a surprise for her.

The next evening Austin went to see Ally at Sonic Boom after her lessons finished. He walked into the practice room just as his little fan Kelly walked out with her violin case. She had stopped squealing over him a few weeks back since she saw him so often now. But she had been very vocal about how much she liked his record and had told him about convincing all her friends to buy copies too. He gave her a smile as they passed in the doorway and then he continued into the room.

"How is my favorite music teacher today?" he asked once inside the door.

"Austin, you're here!" she stood up from the piano bench and walked quickly toward him, meeting him in the middle of the room. He took her outstretched hands and pulled her into a hug. He gave her a quick kiss in greeting like usual.

"Hi." he said smiling down at her.

"Come here." she said, tightening her grip on his shoulders so he leaned his head close to hers again.

"Here?" he asked teasingly, his lips a breath away from hers. She wasted no time with a response and pressed her lips to his in a soft lingering kiss.

"I've been waiting all day to do that." she told him when she finally pulled away.

Austin chuckled. "You should have called me. I could have come over sooner."

"No. You had school and I had students."

"Good point. I can't wait to graduate, then I'll have all day to spend with you." he said.

Dez ran into the room startling them both.

"You won't believe what happened!" he shouted before he stopped and bent over double trying to catch his breath.

"What's up Dez?" Austin asked.

Dez held up his hand signaling Austin to wait a moment. He straightened to his full height and puffed loudly, sucking air into his lungs. "Phew! I just ran here." he panted.

"From where?" Ally asked.

"Downstairs." Dez said.

"So what's going on?" Austin asked.

"Remember that Claymation video I made for the writers of the Zaliens movies?" Dez asked. Austin barely had time to nod as he continued in a rush. "I never sent it in because I just couldn't get the ending right until last week. Then I decided to put it online and it's gone viral! Zaliens fans everywhere are spreading the word and everyone is seeing my short film. But that's not even the best part. Today I got a message from one of the organizers of a film festival who want to show it in their festival next month!"

"That's amazing!" Austin said and did the 'what up' handshake with Dez.

"Congratulations Dez." Ally said.

"I can't believe it. I'm just so happy." Dez said.

Ally called Trish and the four of them celebrated Dez's success together.

. . .

The second week of June Austin, Dez and Trish all graduated from Marino High school. Trish's parents hosted a party for her and her friends that afternoon. Ally was practically glued to Austin's side the whole time. He had told her that once school was out he wanted to spend more time with her and he started by not letting her out his sight or out of his reach. By the time he had to take her home for the dinner that night the four of them had made plans to go to the beach the next day. Austin was shocked to find out Ally had only been to the ocean two or three times in her whole life even though she lived in Miami.

The next morning Austin showed up at Ally's house around noon. Mrs. Dawson opened the door and didn't look happy to see him.

"Come in Austin. We need to talk." she said.

"Sure." he answered but was suddenly nervous. So far, Ally's parents had been pretty nice to him and had warmed up to their relationship and occasional dates. But he also knew they were still very protective of Ally. He thought sometimes they didn't give her enough credit for being capable and being able to do things, but he wasn't about to tell them that.

Mrs. Dawson led him into the front room where they sat down.

"Where's Ally?" he asked.

"She's upstairs being mad at me. I told her it's not a good idea to go to the beach with you."

"Why not? I know she can't swim so I'm not taking her in the water or anything. We are just going to hang out, maybe get our feet wet or something. She likes new sounds and places and I want to share the beach with her because I love it so much."

"That's nice of you, but I still don't think it's a good idea. You know how hard it is to walk on sand even when you can see, so imagine what it will be like for Ally? She could fall and get hurt." Mrs. Dawson said.

"But I'll be right there. I won't let anything happen to her." Austin protested.

"It's just too . .. "

"Fun?" Ally said from the archway of the front entryway into the living room. "Right mom? Because I'm not allowed to do anything fun or normal or have adventures, right?"

Austin hadn't even heard her come down the stairs he was so surprised by Mrs. Dawson's reaction about their plans for the day. Now he was surprised by Ally. He had never heard her speak back to her parents, or heard her voice so cold and angry.

"Honey, that's not what I. . ."

"Stop mom. I'm going to be with Austin and Trish - they both know how to help me and they believe in me. Why can't you?" Ally asked.

"I do believe in you. But this won't be easy, sweetheart." Mrs. Dawson said.

"Nothing is easy for me mom! That's just my life. I want to do this and I need you to let me go. I need you to trust my friends and to trust _me_." Ally said.

Mrs. Dawson deflated. "Alright, you can go. But I'm still your mom so I'm allowed to worry about you."

Ally's face relaxed. "Yes you are. Thank you mom." she came into the room and walked toward them. Mrs. Dawson hugged her tight. "I'll be fine mom. I'll be with Austin."

"Are you ready to go? Do you need anything?" Austin asked as he took her hand.

"My bag is by the door." Ally said as they headed to the front door.

"Got it." Austin picked up her bag and they said their goodbyes to Mrs. Dawson before going out to Austin's car.

He drove her to the beach where they were meeting Trish and Dez. Trish had already set up an umbrella and some beach chairs with the redhead's help so they were ready when Austin parked and texted them. He draped his towel around his neck then helped Ally out of the car and carried her bag on one arm while she held tightly to the other.

Austin paused on the edge of the sidewalk of the parking lot. "Are you ready?" he asked.

"Yes." Ally said with steely determination. He loved it when she pushed herself like this - she was so strong and was constantly amazing him.

"Okay, it's all sand from here and it's going to be uneven. Just hold onto me and tell me to stop if you need to." he said.

"Let's go." she urged.

Austin grinned and took a step onto the sand. Ally followed his lead and took a few small steps along with him. Her head was down and he could tell she was listening and concentrating hard on everything around her. He tried to broaden his senses as well, imagining what she was feeling and hearing. He walked slow and steady, speeding up only slightly as she became accustomed to the shifting sand. She was doing well.

Soon they reached Trish and Dez who greeted them happily. They kicked off their flip flops and Ally stood still listening to the new sounds around her while Austin laid down his towel under the shade of the umbrella and got hers from her bag and laid it out as well.

"I can't believe you are really here at the beach with me." Trish gushed. "I never thought I'd see the day your parents allowed something like this."

"They almost didn't." Austin spoke up. "Mrs. Dawson was trying to tell me how I couldn't bring Ally here when she showed up and totally told her mom off."

"You what?" Trish asked in awe.

"I didn't tell her off. I just made my case for coming here." Ally said.

"Forcefully." Austin added. "It was impressive. Oh, and remind me to never make you mad, okay?"

"Was I that scary?" Ally asked timidly.

Austin put an arm around her shoulders and leaned close. "You were amazing. I'm glad you didn't back down so we could be here together." He said and kissed her cheek.

"Okay okay. We know you like each other; let's keep the kissing to a minimum okay?" Trish said.

"Fine." Austin huffed. "Alright Ally: this is all you now. Do you want to relax here under the umbrella and take everything in for a while, walk around, go to the water, you tell us."

Ally considered for a moment. "I want to feel the water." She said.

"Sweet. I'm on it." Austin rubbed his hands together excitedly.

"Wait!" Dez called out. He was sitting in the sand a short distance away digging a trench around a square patch of sand. "This is a big moment. Ally is at the beach against her mother's wishes and we want to be able to do this again or something like it right?"

"Yeah. What's your point?" Trish asked.

"Sunscreen. If she gets sunburned her parents will have ammo to stop us. We must not be stopped!" Dez declared with a triumphant fist thrown in the air.

"Dufus has a point." Trish admitted.

"There is sunscreen in my bag." Ally said.

"Got it." Austin snatched it from the top of the bag and poured some into the palm of his hand. "May I?" he asked.

"What?" Ally asked.

"Your arms." He said. She held them out obediently and he slathered the sunscreen all over her arms and shoulders. She didn't have a bathing suit since she had never been swimming, so she wore shorts and a blue tank top with spaghetti straps. Trish was watching Austin like a hawk so he gave Ally some sunscreen to put on her neck and the exposed part of her upper chest. He carefully applied some to her face and then gave her more for her legs. Austin stood back but couldn't stop from staring at Ally and all of her beautiful creamy skin. He was loving how her shorts showed off her legs.

Trish smacked him and he came to his senses. He pulled off his own shirt, leaving him in his orange board shorts and put a little sunscreen on himself as well. He couldn't help but smirk a little when he asked Ally to help him put some on his back. She hesitated and turned a little red.

"You mean you aren't wearing a shirt?" she squeaked.

"It's the beach Ally. Help me out?"

"You know it's a little silly to have a blind person doing this right? How will I know if I miss a spot?" Ally asked.

"Yeah, but I'd rather have you do it than Trish. No offense Trish, but that would be weird." He said.

"Agreed. I'll be your eyes Ally, you be the hands." Trish said. "No way I'm touching your boyfriend. It was bad enough I had to help Dez earlier."

"I took care of your back too." Dez said.

Trish put the sunscreen in Ally's hands and Austin backed up close to her. She reached out and ran her hands along the planes of his back and shoulders, smoothing the white cream into his tan skin. Sometimes she forgot just how tall he was and now she was able to fully appreciate his broad shoulders.

Trish cleared her throat. "Good job. Your skin is now safe Austin. Don't forget your hat Ally." She picked up the broad brimmed hat Ally's mom had packed in the bag and plopped it on Ally's head. Ally's hands flew to her head in surprise.

"Thanks Trish." Ally began to turn to her friend but the uneven ground threw her off and Austin's hands reached out for her as she stumbled slightly. She took hold of his arm and got her footing again. "I'm okay. Just forgot about the sand for a second."

"Alright, let's go get your feet wet. Anyone else wanna come in the water?" Austin asked.

"Nah, I'm good here." Trish said, settling down onto her beach chair and picking up a fashion magazine.

"I'm building a sand castle. It's going to be epic, with seven levels, just like the fortress in Lord of the Rings. I think I'll catch some crabs to be the sentries." Dez announced.

"Right, well, good luck with that." Austin said. He made sure Ally had a good grip on his arm and they started walking the short span of sand to the water's edge. Ally was alert, turning her head at the shout of a child nearby, the cry of seabirds overhead, the rush of the gentle surf ahead.

"I love the sound of the waves: so much louder in person than on recordings." She said. "Are we close to the water now? The sand is wetter."

"Yes. We are just a few feet away from where the water washes up."

Ally's hand tightened around his bicep and she danced in place a moment. "I'm so excited! My parents would never do this."

Austin grinned at her childlike excitement and his own pulse quickened with anticipation. "Here we go, where the water can reach us a little." He led her forward a few more steps on the cool wet sand and the foamy water washed over their toes. She squealed in delight. He watched her scrunch and spread her toes in the sand and then extend a slender leg out to reach for the next wave, stepping beyond him toward the water. He stayed still, watching her as she slid her hand down his arm, intertwining her fingers in his as she stepped to the limit of his reach in front of him. She faced the wind coming off the water and her face beamed with joy at this new experience. Austin was struck again at how she affected him. He loved the beach and had spent countless hours here surfing and playing in the sand with Dez, but watching Ally experience it made it feel almost new to him as well.

Suddenly he wanted to find anything he could for her to feel and experience. "Stay right here." He said, releasing her hand.

"Austin? What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm right here still, I'm just catching you a sand crab." He said as he crouched in the shallow water, watching the sand as the wave flowed out, revealing the small feelers of the crabs catching their microscopic food in the water. When he saw the telltale sign of the tiny crabs he quickly dug into the sand and brought up a handful of wet sand. He began clearing away the sand carefully until he found one, its smooth oval shaped shell about the size of a kidney bean trying to burrow between his fingers.

"A what?" Ally asked.

"Hold out your hands." Austin instructed. "It's a tiny crab with a smooth shell that stays just under the surface of the sand by the water. They are easy to dig up and I've got one. It's going to tickle if it runs along your hand and it will try to burrow. Here."

Ally held out her hands and let out a cry of surprise when the tiny crab scuttled across her right hand and stopped at the joint of her fingers to her palm. "Oh my goodness!" she gasped. With her left hand she gently touched the smooth shell on its back.

Austin looked down into the water flowing around their feet at the edge of the surf. A few shells tumbled on the changing surface of the sand and he deftly reached down and caught one in his hand before it washed away. He snagged a few more shells nearby, getting a variety of shapes.

"We should let him go." Austin suggested.

"How?"

"Dig a small hole for him in the sand and cover him up. He'll be fine."

Ally crouched down, her fingers skimming the water and foam. She cupped her hand and pulled some sand aside before dropping the crab in and smoothing the sand back as another wave rushed around them, only inches deep. She stayed there, running her hands through the sand, exploring her surroundings for a moment.

When she stood up Austin handed her the shells. They stayed there in the ankle deep water, letting the waves lap around their feet for a while. Austin came and went, grabbing things to show Ally when he thought of it. Along with the shells and crab he was able to snag some seaweed that washed up toward them, letting her prod the rubbery bulbs and leaves while he brought her some dried seaweed from further up on the sand which crumbled in her fingers. He stood beside her holding hands and closed his eyes with face upturned, just listening and feeling and being there with Ally.

They took a short walk on the beach, sticking to the wet sand where the water ran onto shore because it provided more even footing for Ally and she loved feeling the water rush around them. They started to make their way back to Trish, Dez and the towels but the dry sand was harder for Ally to navigate. Austin swept her up into his arms and carried her bridal style back to her towel. She giggled and held onto his shoulders tightly. He set her down on one of Trish's beach chairs and joined Dez in working on his castle, leaving Ally and Trish to eat some snacks Mrs. Dawson packed and talk a little. Ally relaxed in the shade, completely enjoying herself.

Dez declared his castle complete once it was decorated with shells and seaweed and the moat filled with water. Austin and Trish admired it for a few minutes, complimenting Dez on his work. Then Dez announced that a band of enormous mountain giants had invaded the land and would destroy the great citadel. Trish happily stomped through the sand creation with Austin right behind, kicking the sand about.

After that Dez gathered his sand toys because he had to get home for a family party for his Uncle. Trish gathered up her things as well since Dez was her ride. Austin asked Ally what she wanted to do and they decided to stay a little longer. She was enjoying herself and didn't know if or when she could have a day like this again. With their friends gone, Austin stretched out on his towel beside Ally and they lay side by side on their backs, hands linked as they talked and listened to their surroundings and relaxed for a while.

Austin rolled onto his side facing Ally. He reached out and caressed her cheek, making her smile as his fingers drew lazy designs across her skin. He leaned in and kissed her soft and slow, letting his hand trail down her arm to her stomach and side. She reached for him as well, hands sliding across his bare chest and grasping his toned arms, sliding into his hair. Every touch was delicious. Austin tried to remember they were in a public place so he didn't get carried away. But even so, simply kissing Ally like this was heaven.

Ally's phone buzzed from the side pocket of her bag. Austin reached across her and grabbed the offending device, glancing at the name on the screen.

"It's your mom." He handed her the phone and she answered. After a short conversation he helped Ally to her feet and she held the bag while he folded up their towels. Their beach day was over and he had to get her home for dinner. It was moments like this he hated coming back to reality.


	10. Illusion

**A/N: It may be the shortest chapter, but it's just in time for Christmas! Have a great holiday everyone!**

. . .

Blindsided Chapter 10: Illusion

. . .

True to his word Austin saw Ally almost every day after school got out. She had to work and he had things to do to prepare for his tour, but they still had a significant amount of time together. They ended up playing music together most of the time. Mr. Dawson had recently developed a new habit of poking his head into the practice room at random times when they were alone and consequently he caught them kissing a few days after Austin graduated. It was an awkward moment which resulted in more of the impromptu visits from Ally's dad and much less kissing for the young couple. They were also joined by Trish and Dez whenever possible, cementing Sonic Boom's practice room as their preferred hang out.

Two days before the Fourth of July Austin walked into the practice room and greeted Ally with a kiss before her dad could follow him up and try starting a conversation about guitars or something. Ally was at the piano and she had him sit beside her on the bench.

"What were you playing just now as I came in? I've never heard it before but I like it." Austin asked.

"I hope you like it since it's for your next record." Ally said and began playing the song again.

"You're writing a song for me? Can I hear it?" he smiled brightly as she continued playing. Then she started to sing.

"When you're on your own, drowning, alone, and you need a rope that can pull you in someone'll throw it. And when you're afraid that you're gonna break and you need a way to feel strong again someone'll know it. And even when it hurts the most try to have a little hope that someone's gonna be there when you don't, when you don't." she sang with feeling and Austin was mesmerized by her and her voice as the chorus picked up. "If you wanna cry, I'll be your shoulder. If you wanna laugh, I'll be your smile. If you wanna fly, I will be your sky. Anything you need that's what I'll be. You can come to me."

She played for a moment before starting on the next verse and he could see her soul laid open before him in her words. "You struggle inside, losing your mind, fighting and trying to be yourself and somebody lets you. Out in the cold, but no where to go, feeling like no one can understand, then somebody gets you. So take a breath and let it go, try to have a little hope, 'cause someone's gonna be there when you don't, when you don't." She sang the chorus again and Austin began to hum along, harmonizing with her. Ally scooted slightly closer to him and nodded her approval as she continued into the bridge.

"Like a chain that never breaks, like a truth that never bends, like a glue that takes your broken heart and puts it back again. It's the feeling that you get, it's the moment that you know, like no matter what the future holds, you'll never be alone."

As she sang the chorus for the third time Austin joined her again, echoing the words as Ally sang them. When they finished she sang once more 'you can come to me' and then ended with a simple chord. They were still for a moment as what just happened washed over them.

"Wow. Ally that song is incredible!" Austin said.

"Thanks."

"You'll really let me sing it and show it to my producer Jimmy?"

"You better. Just treat it like the rest of the songs I've given you." Ally said.

"What songs? This is the first Ally Dawson original you've played for me." Austin was confused.

"Jimmy won't respond if you use that name. But if you tell him it's from Lady Snow then he'll set up the studio time for you."

Austin gaped at her. "What did you just say?"

"Tell Jimmy that Lady Snow wrote it." Ally said.

"How do you know that name? I've never said it have I? Jimmy is really protective of my songwriter and I promised not to tell anyone about her." Austin was searching his mind for a moment when he could have let it slip. He spent so much time with Ally, and even though he talked a little about his music with her, she never asked about it much so he didn't give details.

Ally's hand rested on his arm and brought him back to the present. "You kept the secret just like Jimmy wanted. Technically, I am the one in breach of my contract right now since I'm not supposed to tell anyone either, but there's only a week left so I don't think it will matter too much."

"What contract?"

"I'm Lady Snow. It's an anagram of my name, Ally Dawson, leaving out the duplicate a and l. My mom made it up when I was 13 and signed on as a songwriter for Star Records. I was giving guitar lessons to Jimmy's daughter Kira who I became friends with. We were goofing off and I taught her a song I made up, her dad heard her practicing it and was impressed. My parents were worried, like always, so they decided to keep me a mystery and insisted on the false name and that no one ever meet me. They didn't know how people would react to a blind 13 year old songwriter."

"Are you kidding? It's awesome!" Austin interjected.

Ally slid her hand into his. "Well, when I was younger very few people accepted me like you do. Anyway, Jimmy had me try out the emailing thing with some of his recording artists and it worked well so we stuck with it and set a contract that expires on my 18th birthday next week."

"So you wrote my whole record. . . and you knew it was me the whole time?"

"That first chat I freaked out and almost refused to do it when Jimmy told me he wanted a song for Austin Moon. I told him I already met you in person, but since we didn't even know if my songs would be a good fit he said to just treat it like any other job and keep the secret. And it was so easy to write with you. I already knew what it was like to play music with you and I had a feel for your taste in music and your voice and style. Songs just flowed easier and faster than with anyone else I've written for. I get new ideas for you all the time."

"And I love all of them. I had no idea it was you – maybe I should have figured it out, but. . . That's why it was so easy to work with Lady Snow . . . because she's you." Austin shook his head as he took in this information and everything it meant. "What about my birthday party? Jimmy knew exactly who you were and you had to pretend not to know each other didn't you? That must have been hard."

Ally laughed lightly. "It was strange. But it was nice too because it was my first time at a record release party and it was for my own music. I couldn't say it, but I felt like I was celebrating it with you and I wouldn't want to share that with anyone else. So, are you okay with this?"

"Ally." Austin hugged her. "I'm sorry you had to hide it. I wish you could have told me from the start. It would have been so much fun to write the songs together in person."

"Now we can." She said.

"Wow. This will take getting used to. And it means you already know about the surprise I had planned for the second record. Well, I hope you like 'No Ordinary Day'. Surprise." He said flatly.

Ally hugged him tight. "I love it. And I loved writing it with you." she kissed him.

Now he had everything. He had his girlfriend and favorite songwriter all in one. And Ally was kissing him. Perfect. Then he had an idea.

"The song you just sang: it's really good. But I think I know something that will make it even better." Austin said.

"What?"

"I think it should be a duet. I want you to sing it with me."

"I just did." Ally said.

"No, I mean for real, on the record."

"I don't know Austin."

"You have a beautiful voice, Ally. You should share it and be recognized for how awesome you are. " Austin asserted. He watched as she considered this. Hope and fear and so many emotions played across her face but he didn't push. She had to decide on her own.

"Okay, let's try it." Ally finally agreed.

"Yes!" Austin hugged her again. "It's going to be so good, you'll see."

"Maybe we can run it by Jimmy after my birthday and I change my contract." Ally said.

"Alright. So can we sing it again right now?" he asked hopefully.

Ally spent the next hour teaching Austin the words to 'You Can Come to Me'. Mr. Dawson only looked in on them once. Trish showed up and they stopped playing the song so they could talk to her. She wanted to plan something for Ally's birthday.

. . .

The following week Austin, Trish and Dez went to Ally's house for her party in the afternoon. They sang to her, ate cake and opened presents with her family. Then Austin took her out for a surprise, with a promise to call her parents if needed as always. One of her favorite local bands was performing a concert on the beach. They joined the crowd of fans and Austin kept Ally close. She enjoyed every moment and when the concert ended and the crowd dispersed he pulled her close and kissed her. They could hear the waves crashing nearby and a warm night breeze swirled around them as Austin kissed her freely with no worries of Mr. Dawson barging in, no thoughts other than Ally and her soft lips and her hands holding onto him just as tightly as he held her.

Eventually Austin pulled back, breathless, and kissed her forehead. She rested her head against his chest as they held each other in an embrace. He took a deep breath.

"I love you." he told her. The words were spoken quietly and truthfully.

"I love you too." Ally responded. And somehow, they found a way to hold each other even tighter.

They walked along the boardwalk, stopping to kiss occasionally, as they enjoyed this moment being young and free and in love. They didn't talk about Austin leaving on tour in a week. It was an unspoken agreement they had since neither of them was looking forward to being apart. Especially tonight when they were flying high on being together.

A month ago Austin had suggested that Ally come with him. He knew her parents would be against it, but he told Ally that his mom could be with her when he wasn't. She refused like he knew she would, but at least she knew he wanted her there with him. Since then they hadn't discussed it and simply focused on enjoying their time together.

Tonight Austin wanted to forget about his tour. He wanted to forget about everything but at 11pm Ally's Dad called him. He wanted to know where they were since the concert was long over. Austin explained that they were just walking around, talking and having a nice evening out. Before he could end the call he had to promise to take Ally straight home. He pulled her into a final kiss and drove her home as promised, telling himself that as soon as he was back from tour he would take Ally out like this all the time and her parents would simply have to get used to it.

Austin was sure of one thing: the next two months were going to drag by without his Ally.


	11. Break Down the Walls

**A/N: Here you go my friends, the next part of the story. I really hope you like it.**

Blindsided Chapter 11: Break Down the Walls

. . .

It was two days after Ally's 18th birthday and two days until Austin's tour began in Miami. Austin was at his first venue, seeing the staging for the first time and walking through some of the dances on the inclined surface with the dancers. He'd been there all morning discussing final preparations with Jimmy, getting instructions from the choreographer, testing the sound system. He was eating lunch when he got a text from Ally.

.

I can't see you today. Mom took me to her work at the zoo. She says we are staying late -Ally

.

Again? Are you okay? - Austin

.

Parents are still mad about staying out late on my birthday. -Ally

.

This is the second day. Are you grounded or something? Tell them it's my fault. -Austin

.

It's not your fault - I didn't want that night to end. I'm working on something to ease my parent's minds. Just practice hard and get yourself ready for tour. I can't wait to come to your concert. -Ally

.

You'll tell me if something is wrong? I don't want you to pull what Dez did and try not to burden me because I'm about to leave. I'm flying back for his film festival between shows - I worked it out. If you need me I will do anything I can. I love you -Austin

.

I love you too and I know you'll do anything for me. So get ready to kill it on tour. Nothing is going to keep me from your concert in two days. Trish will get me there. She's on our side. -Ally

.

Scott, the show's choreographer, called out to Austin and he put his phone back into his leather jacket off stage. He was a little worried that Ally's parents were making it hard for them to see each other, but he had tour to worry about and Ally was so supportive. He didn't want to let her or anyone else down. He hurried back on stage and rehearsals started again.

. . .

Between Ally's parents changing her routine and Austin's obligations and packing to leave, they didn't get to see each other at all until the night of the concert. Austin was pacing back stage while Dez watched from a couch, happily munching on cheese puffs. They could hear the noise of the crowd entering the venue and Austin knew time was running out.

Just before he was sure he was going to lose it, Trish walked through the door leading Ally in.

"You're here!" he said as he ran to them and swept Ally into a tight hug. He kissed her and then pulled back to his arms length to look at her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine now. I missed you." Ally answered. Trish joined Dez on the couch.

"Me too. I can't believe your parents wouldn't give us these last few days before I leave." Austin complained.

"They are just worried. My mom and I talked a lot. I'll tell you more about it later."

"Ally." Austin's voice held a warning. "Please tell me."

"I will. But we don't have time now. Right now I just want you to kiss me and then go and show this crowd how talented my boyfriend is." Ally said.

Austin couldn't help but smile. "I have the best girlfriend ever." he said and pressed his lips to hers. He forgot where he was and started to deepen the kiss when someone cleared their throat behind him. Austin rested his forehead against Ally's for an instant before taking a step back.

Jimmy looked a little uncomfortable but then smiled when he had Austin's attention. "Its almost time: are you ready Austin?"

"Yeah. I am." he said.

"Good. Kira will go on a minute and as soon as she's done it's all you. Break a leg." Jimmy said.

Austin nodded and the producer left. He put an arm around Ally's shoulders and she put her arms around his waist.

"Are you nervous?" she asked.

"No. I've been waiting for this moment for a long time."

They heard Kira being announced and she began singing. Austin led Ally to the couch where Trish stood up so she could sit. Dez offered her some cheese puffs while Austin pulled Trish aside and spoke to her in a whisper.

"Have you been able to see Ally the last few days? Can you tell me anything?" Austin asked.

"I got to hang out with her yesterday. She's fine. Her parents are wrong about the two of you. They don't get it yet but I think they will in time." Trish answered.

"They think I'm going to forget about her don't they? They think I'm going to break her heart." Austin said, anger rising inside.

Trish put a hand on Austin's shoulder and met his eyes. "Ally knows you and she's not worried. She's the only person you need to be concerned with regarding your relationship."

"Okay." Austin said. "I've already proven myself to them. I can't help it if they don't want to see that."

"There you go. Now forget about all that crap and get ready: you are starting your tour in a minute!" Trish said in full voice.

Austin felt his adrenaline starting to pump again. He could hear the crowd responding to Kira, but he was going to make them scream louder once he got on stage. Austin's parents came in then and congratulated their son one more time before he took the stage. Kira took a bow and it was Austin's turn.

. . .

The Miami concert kicking off Austin's tour went great. The crowd was receptive, Austin's voice and dancing were right on point, everything went as planned. As soon as he finished he was whisked offstage and was able to give hugs to his friends and family. He left a quick kiss on Ally's lips and promised to call her soon before he was taken off to a special area to meet his fans, take pictures and do autographs.

He called Ally the next day as he rode on the bus but she couldn't talk long. She loved his show the night before and was proud of him. He assured her he would keep in touch and nothing would change between them. She agreed. The call was over too fast. Austin reminded himself he would be back in Miami for the film festival in two weeks. He texted Trish to enlist her help in seeing Ally during the one day he would be home.

Those first two weeks of Austin's tour flew by. He was grateful for his busy schedule because it didn't give him much time to miss Ally or his other friends back home. His mom was supportive and stood by his side the whole time. They called his dad almost every day and if Austin wasn't able to call, he often traded a few texts with Ally. They rarely had time to do more than make sure the other was doing alright. But they had that to go on at least.

Austin and his mom Mimi caught a flight out of Denver Colorado back to Miami. He would have less than 24 hours at home but he was ready to make the most of it. His mom was going to stay back in Miami for a few days because Mike had a head cold and needed help at the store. Austin promised his mom he would be fine getting back on tour and Jimmy would have someone pick him up before his show in Las Vegas.

Austin dropped his mom off at home before having the taxi take him to the theater where Dez's film was showing. He arrived two hours early as planned. In the lobby he found Trish and Ally waiting for him. He hugged each of them and then took Ally's hand. The theater was still empty and Dez was busy with some interviews so he would be joining them after the Q&A that would take place after showing his film. They found some seats near the middle of the theater and Trish excused herself to go buy drinks. Austin handed her some money, asking her to get something for him as well. Then he turned to Ally and was able to really look at her. He reached up and caressed her cheek.

"I missed you so much." he said.

"Me too." Ally said. Her hand slid up his arm and she leaned closer to him. He closed the gap and kissed her. This time it was urgent and full of longing, different than their usual kisses.

"I have something to tell you." Ally said when they pulled apart.

"What is it?" Austin asked.

"I'm going away. Not far, but out of my parent's house for a little while."

"What? Where?" Austin asked. This was the last thing he was expecting.

"There is a training center for the blind in Ruston, Louisiana. I'm going to stay there for 3 months starting tomorrow. I made sure I would be here to tell you in person before I left. I didn't want to tell you over the phone or in a text. Please don't be mad, my parents are already furious."

"I'm not mad, I'm just surprised. What do you need training for?" Austin asked.

"They'll help me learn to live independently. Austin, I'm 18 years old and there are so many things I can't do for myself yet, but I can learn. My parents want to do everything for me, and I know they'd be happy doing everything for the rest of my life, but do you know how depressing a thought that is? There are people I've met in blind chatrooms who live on their own, get around by themselves, know how to cook and live normal lives." Ally explained.

"I didn't know you weren't happy." Austin said.

"Since I met you I've been the happiest ever in my life. This is partly your doing actually. You came along and treated me like I can do things and go places and be more than my parents ever let me believe. I want this. I need this and I need you to understand and support me if you can."

Austin ran his fingers through the long brown hair trailing over her shoulder. "I will support you. It just means we're going to be separated longer than I thought. I don't like that part."

"Me neither. But in the end its going to be better." Ally said. She touched his face lightly and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. "The day after I turned eighteen do you know what my mother said to me?"

"No." Austin shook his head, and since Ally's fingers were still on his cheek she felt it.

"She reminded me of something we talked about when I was 14 years old. She told me that since I'm blind I can't ever get married and have a family. I can't take care of a house or cook or clean or raise a child. She told me it wasn't fair for me to be in a relationship with you and lead you on since it can't go anywhere."

"Ally." Austin began to protest but she pressed a finger to his lips.

"It hurt, a lot, the things she said. They were things I knew already because mom tried to squash those dreams years ago. And I did forget about them for a while and part of me accepted that I would never have the things most little girls dream of and imagine for their lives. Until I met you." she traced his lips with her finger and smiled. "You walked into my dad's store and my life and you changed everything. You never put limits on me and you let me do new things and have new experiences. I didn't know life could be like that and now it's all I want. I love how excited you get about sharing things with me. It means the world that you _want_ to share things with me. I never thought anyone outside my parents would ever want to be burdened with me."

"You aren't a burden Ally."

Ally smiled. "I know. I know I don't have to be so I'm going to go and learn all I can. There are great people at the center, people like me who can show me how to be on my own and take care of everything myself. I'll be able to move out and get my own place. And then my parents won't be able to dictate when I come or go or who I spend time with." Her hand ran along Austin's forearm, back and forth, in a soothing motion. She wanted to be with him without her parents putting limits on their time. They were always so in sync, so in tune with each other. No wonder he fell so hard for her.

"The people at that center aren't going to know what hit them when you show up." Austin said with a smile. "You are already one of the strongest and most determined people I know. Only, you won't need me at all after this, will you?"

"I may not need you to do things_ for_ me, but I will still need you_ in _my life." Ally said. "I'll always want you."

Austin couldn't help himself then. He pulled Ally to him in a crushing hug and kissed her passionately. "I love you so much." he told her between kisses and she smiled into their kiss.

Eventually Austin became aware of voices and someone saying his name. Then there was clicking and a flash. He pulled out of the embrace and looked at a small crowd of people standing several rows lower in the theater holding up phones and cameras, capturing their private moment. Then several voices spoke at once and more pictures were taken.

"Austin Moon, who is the girl?"

"Why aren't you on tour?"

"Aren't you supposed to be in Colorado?'

"Austin, how is the tour going?"

Austin let go of Ally and sighed. She sank back in her seat, realizing that they had attracted attention and Austin had been recognized.

"Whoa! Slow down please." Austin said.

"Austin! Is there a problem with your tour?" someone persisted.

Austin stood up so Ally was partially behind him. "Hi, yeah, I'm still on tour. I just made a quick trip back here between shows to support my best friend Dez. His film is showing today. He directed and filmed all of my online videos and I'm really happy for him being in this film festival today." Austin said loudly so everyone could hear him.

"And the girl?"

"Who is she?"

"Are you dating?"

"What's her name?"

Austin put his hands up again. "This is my girlfriend. She's not able to come on tour with me and since I missed her so much we met here early. Please respect her privacy. We're just here to support our friend. Just wait until you see his film: Dez is a great filmmaker. Enjoy the show." He sat down again and turned sideways in his seat to face Ally, making it clear he wouldn't be talking to the press anymore.

"Sorry about that." Austin said quietly to Ally. "Our picture will be everywhere by tomorrow. I wasn't even thinking."

Ally reached out for his hand. "It's okay. You're a star: it would be bad if you weren't recognized."

"True. I just don't want to drag you into it all." He said.

"I can handle it." Ally promised.

"You are the best." he said.

Trish came back with their drinks and some popcorn to share. She sat on the other side of Ally and the three of them talked quietly until the film started. As the credits were rolling at the end Trish flashed her phone at Austin, showing him that a photo of him kissing Ally was already online and circulating. Austin just shrugged and then got a text from her:

..

I can't leave you two alone for a second can I? -Trish

..

Austin just chuckled and Ally asked him what was so funny. Her patience was waning since she just sat through a film with very little dialogue and she knew she was missing things. Dez had told her the plot already, but now she was thinking that he gave her the barest description possible since very little she heard made sense without the visuals.

"Trish is giving me a hard time because a photo of us kissing is already online." Austin whispered in her ear.

"They work fast." She replied.

"It's what the press does." Trish leaned in and contributed. "Don't get upset Ally, but a lot of teenage girls either hate or envy you right now because you get to kiss Austin Moon."

"Well, they have a reason to be jealous: he's a good kisser." Ally responded. Austin laughed out loud in surprise at her blunt comment. Someone grumbled behind them so he quickly pressed his face into Ally's shoulder and left a kiss there. Trish was giggling too as the shock of Ally's statement passed.

The credits finished and the lights came up. Dez and a few other people sat on chairs on stage and talked a bit about the film and it's online reception so far and then it was opened up for a Q&A. Over an hour later the theater was almost empty and Dez came out to meet his friends. They hugged and congratulated him. He was practically buzzing from excitement over the whole thing and Austin was sure that no one deserved it more than his best friend.

They all decided to go out for some dinner and Austin offered to treat everyone. They talked and caught up and had fun for a while. Ally's phone buzzed with a text from her parents asking when she would be coming home from Trish's. They were both working and didn't want her left alone, but they were under the impression she was only spending the day with Trish. She responded that she would be home in an hour like they had planned.

"They really aren't happy that I'm leaving tomorrow but I didn't give them much of a choice. I'm 18 and I'm using the money I've earned from songwriting so they can't stop me from going to the center."

Austin squeezed her hand. "I'm proud of you for going after what you want."

"Thanks. They did agree to drive me there tomorrow though and mom has been helping me pack. I think the time apart will be good for us. They can just be people for once, not the parents of a blind girl." Ally said.

They finished up and Trish and Dez left the others alone for a minute at the table in the back of the restaurant. Austin held Ally tight.

"Three months huh?" he said. "I'm going to miss you so much."

"You can come visit me when you get home from tour." Ally said.

"I can? Then I'll be there. Plan on me the day after tour ends."

"I will. I'm not going to count days because that will drive me crazy, but I will look forward to it." Ally said.

"We'll still talk all the time. Call me when you get there." Austin said.

"I'll miss you." Ally told him. He kissed her for a moment and then he led her out of the restaurant to Trish's waiting car. He watched them drive away and got into Dez's car. They drove to Austin's house and Dez hung out with the Moon's for the rest of the night. Austin's flight to Las Vegas left early the next morning.

. . .

**like it? hate it? want another chapter? let me know!**

**P.S. Had to make a quick adjustment to the location of the training center so this chapter was simply updated.**


	12. You Don't See Me

**A/N: Sorry for making you wait a whole week for this! As always, thank you so much to my amazing reviewers - you make my day and keep me motivated to post new chapters as quickly as I can. I've never done this thing where I write a new chapter every week (or less) before and you make it all worth while. So, here you go. Enjoy!**

Blindsided Chapter 12: You Don't See Me

. . .

For the first week after Dez's film festival Austin and Ally had a hard time finding moments to call each other. Between Las Vegas and LA he discovered that Ally and Kira were texting each other too. Kira told him that Ally was always asking about him and before their tour started she had asked Kira to watch out for him since she couldn't come. Now that Austin new the Lady Snow secret he and Kira could talk freely about their mutual friend. Austin's schedule was full with a show in LA and one in San Francisco, a photo shoot in between and a lot of publicity to do in California.

After the concert in LA Austin was surprised backstage by his ex-girlfriend Cassidy. He was signing autographs when she came up and hugged him out of nowhere.

"Cass? What are you doing here?" He asked in surprise.

"I live here, remember? You're in my town now." she said with a smile.

"Yeah, that's right. So, how are you?" he asked.

"I'm okay. My band broke up a while ago and I'm trying to form a new one. There are plenty of musicians here, but there are plenty of singers too, so it's pretty competitive." she answered.

"What about the recording contract you moved here for?" he asked.

"It fell through when my band had problems." she shrugged. "That's the biz for you. But it looks like you've got this thing figured out. Congratulations on the tour and your record. It's really good."

"Thanks. I owe a lot to my producer and an incredible songwriter." Austin said humbly.

"That and you are just plain talented." Cassidy insisted.

Austin smiled at that and then noticed his handler making a face at him since other fans were still waiting. "It's nice to see you again, but I better get back to my fans. Good luck Cassidy."

"Wait, since you are in town maybe we could go get something to eat, or coffee. . ." she suggested.

"I don't really have time. Every second is booked while I'm here and I have a girlfriend so I don't think it's a good idea." Austin said.

"I saw the pictures. But you never can trust the paparazzi." Cassidy said a little crestfallen.

"Those pictures were real." he smiled ruefully, remembering the kiss at the theater. "She's great with music too, I think you would actually like her a lot."

"Well she's got good taste since she's with you." Cassidy said wistfully.

"Thanks Cass. Take care of yourself." Austin said and turned back to the line of waiting fans.

Three days later when they were packing up after the San Francisco show Kira confronted Austin on the way to his bus at midnight. She held up her phone with a photo of Cassidy hugging him.

"What's this?" Kira demanded.

"That's my ex Cassidy. She came to say hi." Austin answered sleepily.

"Is that all?" Kira challenged.

"Yes that's all. She hugged me, we had like a two minute conversation, and she left. Are you accusing me of cheating on Ally? Cuz I would _never_ do that."

"Just checking. You don't hug many fans and this photo is getting around." Kira told him.

"Well calm down and trust me a little bit, okay?" Austin insisted.

"Alright. Sorry." Kira said.

"k. I'm going to bed now: I'm exhausted. Good night Kira." he said and went into his bus.

. . .

The following week Austin's schedule was a bit more calm as they headed up the west coast into Oregon and Washington. It would have been relaxing but the public eye was focused on him more than ever. After the photos from the Miami film festival spread throughout the media there was a flurry of speculation regarding his girlfriend. He was equally surprised and grateful that it took the press over a week to determine Ally's identity since he hadn't given her name. But the news finally broke the day he was on the bus driving to Portland. Of course the focus then became her blindness and Austin couldn't bring himself to read the feeds after that. She was a novelty to them, just a blind girl, and it bothered him.

Ally was settling into life and her new schedule at the training center so she had a little more free time. She and Austin were able to coordinate a few hours that week to talk instead of just text and they even worked a little bit on a song together. Ally took a small keyboard with her to the center since she couldn't go entirely without music, nor would they ask her to. They started to write a song inspired by Ally getting out on her own called "Break Down the Walls".

Ally told him that her parents were following the media around Austin pretty closely while he was gone and had seen the photo of them at the theater as well as many photos of him with fans. Since she was away from home they couldn't do much about her lie to them when she saw Austin at the film festival but they weren't happy either. A few reporters had gone to the house and Sonic Boom looking for a story and more information on Austin's relationship with their daughter. So far Penny and Lester had been able to fend them off with 'no comment'. Dez and Trish were tracked down as well because of their connections to the couple.

To keep their mind off the media circus Ally told Austin about some of the people in the center. There was an older man who was an instructor there who Ally said felt like an uncle or something to her. He was a widower who had sold life insurance for 30 years. Now he helped other people deal with blindness. The person Ally spoke of most was an older woman named Jeanine, another instructor, who was married and was raising two sighted sons. She took good care of them and it didn't matter that she was blind. The sons were pretty protective of their mom and would tell anyone off who suggested that she couldn't do things because she was blind. This mattered a great deal to Ally because she dreamed of having her own family one day.

. . .

Mimi rejoined Austin's tour just before the Seattle show and brought Dez with her but that connection to home wasn't enough for Austin. He needed Ally and there was no cure until he could see her again. The endless parade of photos of them kissing and all the questions from fans and reporters about Ally were just a sharp reminder of the separation. The shows were a highlight for him because when he was on stage everything else melted away and he enjoyed himself.

A few days later Austin and Mimi were walking around a mall in downtown Salt Lake City. Dez was off filming and photographing bits of the city. Austin wore a hat and sunglasses so as to not draw attention to them and they were enjoying a normal afternoon for once. They just finished eating lunch and were walking around for a bit.

"I talked to Penny the other day." Mimi said. "She and Lester are still adjusting to all the extra attention but Lester likes the free publicity for the store. They still aren't happy that the world has now seen pictures of their daughter kissing a pop star."

"Oh. They aren't mad at Ally are they? I don't want her to be in trouble, but we had to see each other."

Mimi smiled. "I know it's hard for you two to be apart. Ally is fine - her parents are just getting used the situation. They aren't used to their teenager acting like a teenager. I got used to you long ago so I have an advantage."

Austin grimaced and his mom bumped his shoulder with hers playfully.

"They also asked me about Cassidy. Anything you want to tell me?" Mimi asked.

"I only spoke to Cassidy for a few minutes, there really isn't anything to tell there. People are taking pictures all the time at those meet and greets so I don't know who caught the moment she hugged me and posted it, but it's out there now. I already told Ally what happened and I have nothing to hide." Austin said.

"Okay. And the day of the film festival?"

"We got to the theater really early and were alone. She and I were talking about the blind center where she is now and I never even noticed the press coming in. And then they caught us having a private moment."

"It wasn't private honey, I've seen ten different angles of that photo."

Austin's face reddened. "Yeah."

"So tell me about you and Ally. What's going on there right now?" Mimi asked. They walked past a collectibles store.

"We call and text when we can. She's going to be at the center for a while after I get back which I'm not really happy about but I can't change it. And I won't ask her to come back sooner. Just like she wouldn't ask me to call off my tour." He let out a breath in frustration. "I just really miss her. But there is no other option right now. We are both where we need to be, doing good things that are important to us, and we support each other. But I still wish there was a way around it or I could fast forward to when we are both home and have time again. I know it's selfish but I just want . . . I don't know." He turned his head to see his mother studying him.

"I've never seen you like this before. You really love Ally don't you?"

Austin nodded. "Yeah, I do."

"I know things are difficult right now, but you'll find your way through this, just like you always do. Be patient with yourself and with life."

"Okay."

Mimi slipped her arm around him and he put his arm around her shoulder. "I'm so proud of you. The way you are handling everything, going after your music and the way you treat Ally and how hard you work: you are turning into an incredible man. Your father and I are happy for you, even if we don't say it all the time."

Austin squeezed her shoulder. "Thanks mom."

. . .

As Austin traveled across the northern states and played shows he and Ally kept working on music. They finished "Break Down the Walls" and bounced ideas off each other for some more songs. He didn't tell her just how much he looked forward to that because they didn't talk directly about being apart or missing each other. But the truth was that it was a lifeline for him. On the days he woke up and had no idea what state he was in or which show was next, he could pull up some music she sent him and get lost in the sound for 5 minutes so he could get up and deal with everything else. That and performing were his favorite things.

Ally was thriving at the center and learning new things all the time. She learned tricks for cleaning and new ideas for labeling items for easy recognition. She was learning to cook just like she had dreamed of for years. She was inspired and music was flowing but she didn't have any lyrics in mind. So she shared the melodies and snippets of songs she wrote with Austin in the hopes that he could help her find the words that belonged with the music. Sometimes he tagged tracks and told her he was working on them so she set those aside and didn't fiddle with them so he could do his thing without interference. Working together on music bridged the gap of distance between them and made it all easier for them both.

Using the music she sent him, Austin wrote a song called "I Think About You" between Kansas City and Chicago. He let her know which music he was using but he didn't share the song with her yet. The lyrics were mostly complete but he had a few tweaks to make yet and wanted it perfect before he showed it to her. He might not have been able to surprise her with "No Ordinary Day", but he could with this song.

. . .

While they were in New York on the last leg of the tour Austin's dad called. Mimi's dad suffered a stroke and couldn't live on his own anymore. The whole day leading up to the concert his parents were on the phone, discussing options and making decisions. At last it was determined that Grandpa David would move in with them and stay in the extra bedroom next to Austin's. Mimi would fly down to help with that in the morning and Austin and Dez would be on their own for the end of the tour. Austin had to put his worries away and lose himself in the music that night, determined not to let this affect his performance. But after the high of performing he crashed hard and called Ally since his mom went to bed early because of her morning flight the next day.

Ally stayed up late chatting with him that night after the concert. They were finally in the same time zone again and she didn't complain when he kept her up till midnight. He needed to hear her voice. He was worried about his grandpa with whom he had always had a close relationship. For the first time since the film festival Austin told her how much he missed her. There was nothing she could do but reassure him that he would be home soon and could see his grandpa. And after that he could come see her in Louisiana. They spoke about directions and the exact date and time he could touch her again and hold her hand. He needed some time with his parents and his grandpa so he wouldn't be able to go to her right after he got home. But as soon as he could, he would visit her and get some much needed Ally time. With that in mind he was finally able to go to sleep.

Dez was able to cheer Austin up a bit before the show in Baltimore.

Ally tagged some of the music she had shared with Austin because some lyrics finally came to her that fit. Early in the day before his second to last concert she called him and sang "I'm Finally Me" to him over the phone. It was the first song she wrote for herself and Austin loved it. He told her that one day he wanted to see her sing it on stage for an audience.

Austin loved performing and had enjoyed every moment on stage during his tour. The down time between those highs had been hard though and got worse at the end of the two months. He was ready to go home and spend time with family, and Ally and his friends. He was also excited to show the new songs he and Ally had been writing to Jimmy and get started recording his second record.

. . .

Austin's last concert was on a Saturday night in Atlanta the second week of September. Afterward the bus drove all night so by 11am the next day Austin was back in Miami. He slept the entire drive and after dropping Dez off he went straight home to see his parents and Grandpa David. He dropped his bags in his bedroom and ate lunch with his family, catching up with them for a little while. Grandpa went to his room to rest and Austin retreated to his own bedroom as well.

He lay on his bed staring at the ceiling, remembering the first time he brought Ally here and she fell asleep with him. He pulled out his phone and called her but was sent to voicemail. She was often busy at the training center so he sent her a text.

.

I'm home Ally but it's not the same without you. Can I come see you in a few days? –Austin

.

Austin put his hands up behind his head and closed his eyes. A half hour later he was woken when his phone buzzed on his stomach. It was a text from Ally.

.

Can you come this weekend? I didn't sign up for any activities this Saturday so I have the whole day free. How are you? –Ally

.

I'll be there Saturday morning. I'm tired but good. Glad to see Grandpa. Have to settle back into normal life now. –Austin

.

They exchanged texts for the next hour until Mimi came knocking on Austin's door. She was doing laundry and needed Austin to unpack his bags. He talked to his mom while they sorted everything to be washed. Grandpa was settled in and doing better. She and Mike took turns between the store and being home with him. Austin volunteered to stick around and help out with that but told her he was going to see Ally on Saturday. She helped him look up flights into Shreveport and they set up a rental car for him when he got there. He would fly in late Friday night and stay in a hotel then drive the hour to Ruston in the morning and spend the day with Ally. His flight home left at 11:00 Saturday night. Now Austin just had to keep himself busy and distracted for five days until then.

That week Dez came around often, Trish stopped by once, and Austin spent a few hours every day with his Grandpa David. They talked a lot and Austin enjoyed his grandfather's stories. The older man was surprisingly interested in his relationship with Ally and Austin just knew he would like her when they got to meet. She still had a month left at the training center though, so that would have to wait. Austin even spent some time at the mattress store with his dad one day.

Jimmy called Austin into the studio on thursday to talk about starting a second record. Austin pulled up the songs he and Ally had been writing on his phone and played Jimmy portions of them. The producer was happy but told Austin that Ally hadn't firmed up a new contract with him yet, so the new songs would have to be put on hold until an agreement was made. He said it was the fairest thing for Ally, to protect her rights and guarantee earnings from her work.

Austin started counting the hours until his flight.

. . .

**I know, it's so painful for them to be apart! Please don't hate. This part of the story (and the one episode of tour from the show) hit home for me because my sweetheart and I were 1200 miles apart for two years and were only allowed to write letters to each other. I only heard from him once a month and it was torture. But we survived, we both came home stronger and better people and it's only added to our lives together in the long run. But it really sucked to live through at the time! Not gonna lie.**

**To ease my pain (and Austin and Ally's because I will post the next chapter sooner)- leave a review! **


	13. Chasing the Beat of My Heart

**Disclaimer: I don't own Austin and Ally, they are just fun to hang out with in my imagination.**

**A/N: So, one of my all time absolute favorite moments from the show that gives me goosebumps every single time? in Road Trips and Reunions when Austin sings Chasing the Beat of My Heart and he sings the line "I'm going home and I'm coming to you". Holds very special personal meaning to me. Hope I did the show and myself justice in this chapter. Enjoy!**

**. . .**

Blindsided Chapter 13: Chasing the Beat of My Heart

. . .

On Friday Dez drove Austin to the airport to catch his flight. He had one small overnight bag with him that he carried on. There were no direct flights so there was one stop and it took over 5 hours to get there. Every hour made Austin more anxious and fidgety. He tried to read or listen to music or anything to get his mind off the miles still separating him from Ally but nothing worked for very long. Finally he arrived in Shreveport, picked up his rental car and drove to a nearby hotel to try and sleep for a few hours. Ally texted him for a little while that night until she convinced him to sleep so they could have fun the next day.

Saturday morning Austin was up early. He made the hour long drive to Ruston and easily located both the training center and the apartments a few blocks away. He texted Ally who told him to come to the apartments. He parked and got out of the car to stretch his tall frame. He felt nervous and anxious and couldn't believe the moment was finally here when he could see Ally again. He walked toward the glass doors and saw Ally waiting just inside. He ran the last few steps and pulled the door open eagerly.

"Ally!" he said and saw her face break into a smile just before he hugged her tight. Her arms wound around his neck and he breathed deep. She still smelled of vanilla and her body felt so good in his arms.

"I missed you!" she said.

"It's so good to see you." he murmured in her ear. He still held her tight, not ready to let go yet. She laughed lightly and rested her head against him. Her fingers toyed with his hair.

"You need a haircut." She noted.

Austin laughed. "My mom hasn't even told me that yet. But you're right." He pulled back to look at her and ran his fingers through her brown locks. "I don't think you should get a haircut. I like your hair long."

"I'll remember that." she said and gently pulled his head closer to her and they kissed. He felt like they had never been parted.

"I want to show you my room!" she said. She flicked out a white stick she had been holding in one hand and it extended into a cane. Her other hand slid down his arm to his hand and she began walking, pulling him along behind as she tapped the cane in a small side to side arc in front of her. She walked confidently, hugging the wall on the right side and tapping it lightly with her cane.

"I'm the fifth door down." She told him as they passed the second doorway.

"The cane is new. Do you like it?" he asked.

"Yes! It makes getting around so much easier. It took some practice, but I got the basics down pretty quickly and I'm getting braver all the time in new spaces." She answered. She was clearly happy and proud of herself. He was proud of her too.

She stopped at the fifth door and pulled out her key. She opened the door and led him inside. It was a small and simple place, uncluttered and very neat. The studio apartment had a small kitchen area and he saw that everything was labeled with tiny rounded stickers or Braille cards rubberbanded in place. All of the appliances had bumps or rounded dots attached to their dials so Ally could tell cooking times and temperatures easily. Everything was clean and her bed was made and she moved through the space expertly, her cane folded up again and set next to the door on a tiny table. He saw her laptop on her bedside table and her keyboard took up the entire top surface of the small dresser.

"This looks nice." He told her.

"I love it. Jeanine took me grocery shopping yesterday for the first time. She's told me about it before, but I actually got to go and do some shopping with her. It was amazing! She knows so many things just by feel and weight, the shape and size of the container, it was just. . . wow. We called the store beforehand and they had a helper ready for us and I never thought I would be able to do these kinds of things!" She told him in an excited rush. He had never considered grocery shopping to be exciting, but then again he had no problem seeing and reading labels.

"That's great Ally." He told her, genuinely happy for her.

She sat down at a bistro sized table with two chairs in the kitchen area and he joined her. "Tell me about your grandpa." She prompted. So she held his hand as he told her about the last few days and some of their talks. Then she offered to show him around the apartment building and the training center. They left her room and walked down the hall toward his car and she listed the people living and learning there with her.

He drove her to the training center a few blocks away and she led him around, talking about the instructors and things she was learning. Now he could put a visual with the things she'd been telling him about since she arrived. Her favorite was the cooking class taught by a local chef. He was sighted but his wife was not and he was able to show them how to use blind assistance devices and equipment in the kitchen. They met a few people as they went and she always introduced Austin as her boyfriend. They all knew who he was as soon as she said that and they were very friendly. Many of them warned him to be good to her and he promised he would. He was pleased that she was surrounded by people who cared about her.

In a common room there were two people sitting on a couch: an older woman and a young man Austin's age. When Ally paused in the doorway to say something to Austin the young man called out to her.

"Ally! Mom and I were just talking. Come join us."

"Oh Elliott, I'm so glad you're here!" she said happily. She navigated the seating areas easily with her cane and still held Austin's hand as she crossed the room.

Elliott smiled broadly at the two of them as they sat in the empty chairs facing the couch. "Who is your visitor Ally?" he asked.

"Jeanine, Elliott, this is my boyfriend Austin." Ally introduced them. "Austin, this is Jeanine and her son Elliott."

"Hi. Nice to finally meet you: Ally's told me a lot about you Jeanine." Austin said. "Hi Elliott."

Jeanine smiled and tilted her head in his direction. "You have a pleasant speaking voice." She noted.

"Um, thanks."

Jeanine laughed lightly. "You are a good singer too. Ally leant me your cd a few weeks ago and we enjoyed listening to it."

"Yeah, you are really good." Elliott added.

Austin was a little thrown off when he first saw Elliott. Ally had told him about Jeanine and her sons, but she never mentioned that the boys were her age. Elliott clearly knew Ally and they were friendly but she hadn't hesitated in calling Austin her boyfriend so he tried not to worry about this. Elliott seemed nice enough.

"Ally told us you were on tour. How did that go?" Jeanine asked.

"It was great. A few of the shows even sold out. Touring was fun but I missed everyone I left behind so I'm glad to be back." Austin said.

They made small talk for a little while until Austin's stomach began to rumble. He admitted to not eating breakfast in his haste to see Ally that morning and she insisted they leave for lunch right then. She was craving a hamburger so they got some fast food and drove to a nearby park where they sat at a picnic table to eat. It was a beautiful early September day and the park was quiet since kids were still in school. Every so often someone would walk by with their dog, but overall they were alone for once.

"I have some good news." Austin said after he finished his burger.

"What?" Ally asked with interest.

"I applied to the University of Miami and was accepted for spring semester. I thought we could take a few classes together if you want." Austin said.

"Austin! That is great! I thought you hadn't decided on college yet?" Ally responded.

"I had some time to think on tour. I might not be able to do a full class load, but I can at least get started on my generals." he said.

"I've only done online classes so far but Jerry here at the center has been telling me about what I need to do to attend classes on campus." Ally mused.

"I did a little research too. You would probably need a reader for classes that don't have their reading materials online, right? So I figured if we took the same classes I could be your reader and we would be able to study together." Austin supplied. "We could save money by only buying one set of books to share. I hear the books in college can cost a fortune."

"Austin." Ally said and her eyes glistened like she was about to cry. He rounded the table and straddled the bench facing her.

"It's something we could do together and it would guarantee us some more time for each other." he said. "And, you know, get us started on some higher education which is always a good thing, right?"

She reached for him and hugged him tight, sniffing loudly. "How did I get so lucky to meet you?" she asked.

"I wonder the same thing about you all the time." he said.

. . .

They stayed at the park for a few hours, enjoying the fine afternoon and the rare opportunity to just be together. They walked around and talked about nothings and a few somethings and if asked later what they discussed they might not have been able to say, but they were together and they were happy.

They lay on the grass facing the sky and made a few plans for when Ally was home again. She promised to talk to Jimmy as soon as she could and make a new contract so they could move forward on their songwriting and Austin's second album. She was just as excited for him to record the songs as he was. She dreamed of getting an apartment, a place of her own, and he promised to help her find one if she wanted. He mused about buying a house after he turned 19 in the spring. He also got her to agree to sing her song "Finally Me" for an audience at the mall if he set it up. He suggested a mini concert where they could both sing a little and she liked the idea. She insisted that they sing their duet if they did the concert. She also wanted to meet his grandpa and get some stories from him about Austin as a kid. He agreed to let Ally meet his grandpa anyway.

They left when they started to get hungry again. Ally wanted to show off some of her new cooking skills so they stopped by a store to get a few things and went back to her apartment to cook together. Austin chopped a salad while Ally got water going for spaghetti and a small pot heating up the sauce. She put some frozen garlic bread in the oven to heat as well. He finished his part just as she put the noodles in the pot and set the timer.

Austin had ten minutes and he wasn't about to waste them so he drew Ally into his arms and kissed her soundly. Ally wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him as they got lost in each other. The spaghetti sauce spit and made a mess on the stove top but neither of them noticed, only breaking apart when the buzzer went off for the noodles. Ally fumbled a moment to get her bearings again, holding the edge of the counter as the dizziness from Austin's kisses passed. She turned off the buzzer and Austin shook out his hair which was standing up at odd angles from her hands running through it. She took a deep breath and they laughed a little as they went about finishing up dinner. Ally drained the noodles and tossed the sauce with them inside the warm pot. Austin pulled out the garlic bread and sliced it. They got dishes out, filled their plates, and sat down to eat. He liked that they were doing something normal, just cooking dinner together like any couple would. It was refreshing after the whirlwind of his tour.

While they were eating Ally got a text from Jeanine asking if she was still up for Scrabble that night. It was their usual Saturday night thing but she said she'd understand if Ally couldn't because of her guest. Austin agreed to it since he was here to see what her life was like. He also knew it would be better to be around other people instead of alone in a private apartment. He loved Ally and he wanted to experience everything with her, but he didn't want to push her too fast either because she was important to him. He knew his limits and chose the safer option that night.

Austin helped Ally clean up the dishes and the kitchen when they finished eating. Ally dried her hands after setting the last pan on the drying rack and slipped her arms around Austin's waist. She sighed in contentment as he held her.

"I missed this." she told him. "I always feel safe and protected with you. It's just right."

"It's weird being home without you there. I can't go to Sonic Boom to see you any time I want. So many things remind me of you there." Austin said.

"I'll be back soon." She promised

"I know. Hey, this makes me think of a Beach Boys song. My grandpa loves them so I grew up on their music. And he's been listening to them nonstop all week so it's fresh in my mind." He admitted.

"Which song?" Ally asked.

Austin began swaying, dancing slowly with Ally as he sang quietly in her ear.

.

_Wouldn't it be nice if we were older_

_Then we wouldn't have to wait so long_

_and wouldn't it be nice to live together_

_in the kind of world where we belong_

.

_You know it's gonna make it that much better_

_When we can say goodnight and stay together_

.

Ally blushed and Austin smirked for a moment. Scrabble was definitely the right choice tonight. But someday. . . He kept singing to her as they danced slowly in her tiny apartment.

.

_Wouldn't it be nice if we could wake up_

_in the morning when the day is new_

_and after having spent the day together_

_hold each other close the whole night through_

.

_Happy times together we've been spending_

_I wish that every kiss was never-ending_

_Wouldn't it be nice. . ._

.

He stopped singing the words and hummed to her a little longer. She tilted her face up to his and he kissed her waiting lips softly, their dance forgotten. The sweetness of the moment sent chills through Austin. This girl affected him like no other ever had. Even when he dated Cassidy the few kisses they shared were nothing compared to this. Cassidy wasn't cuddly or affectionate like he was, like Ally was. Ally made him think about serious things like college and making money from his music to support a family. A family with her. It was a new idea and it didn't scare him like he expected it to. Ally made him feel safe too. It wasn't something he even knew he needed until her.

Ally's phone buzzed, reminding her to go to Scrabble. Austin and Ally met Jeanine and several other people back at the center at 7pm. Elliott and his little brother Danny were there along with 6 other people with varying degrees of vision impairment. Austin had more fun than he expected to playing both against Ally and the other people there. He didn't mention it out loud, but he paid attention and knew that he did better than Elliott did by the end of the night. Not that it mattered. Not one bit.

Two hours later the group broke up for the night. Austin stood up and frowned at the clock.

"I better go so I can make my flight." He said regretfully.

"I know." Ally was subdued.

"I'll take you home." He slipped his hand into hers.

"If you are in a hurry, I can help Ally." Elliott offered.

Austin's frown deepened. "I can take her home. Goodbye Elliott."

Ally squeezed his hand. "See you later Elliott." She said and started walking out of the room with Austin. They went straight to his car and he opened her door before getting in the driver's side and starting the car. He held her hand as they drove the few blocks to her apartment. The weight that was forming in Austin's chest grew heavier the closer they got to Ally's place. When he turned off the car in front of her building he couldn't move. He held her hand and took slow breaths, feeling like he couldn't get enough air.

"Austin?" Ally asked quietly.

"I hate this."

Ally leaned closer, resting her head against his shoulder. "Today was great."

"I know it was. Every day with you is great, it just sucks that it has to end. I don't know when I'm gonna see you again." He said.

"I'll be back in Miami before you know it. I'll meet your grandpa and sign a new contract with Jimmy, then we'll finish your second record and everything will be fine."

"You're right. I'm sorry I'm ruining our last moments together. It's just hard to leave you behind again." Austin said.

"I love you." Ally said and touched his face before leaning up to kiss him softly. Austin closed his eyes and savored the moment.

They got out of the car and Austin walked her inside to her door. She unlocked it but hugged him again before going inside. He pressed his forehead to hers and breathed, trying to convince himself not to kiss her, not to push her inside and close the door and forget everything else.

"Tell me to go." He said.

"Don't miss your flight. I'll call you tomorrow." She promised.

He released her with a groan and stepped back. "See you soon." He said.

"Very soon." She agreed.

"Bye Ally." He forced himself to turn around and walk away. He looked back to see her go inside and close the door. She was safe and happy and doing something that was important to her. She would come home and he would have plenty of time with her again. Time to convince her that it was bad for his health for them to be apart, that they should be together. He got in his car and drove to Shreveport to catch his flight.

. . .

**A/N: They finally got to see each other! Was it worth the wait? **

**Last chapter I slipped Cassidy in there, this time it was Elliott – were you surprised? In Campers and Complications Elliott is in Miami on vacation or something and I don't think they ever say where he is from, so I messed with that here. Did it work for you? Review and let me know!**


	14. Can't Do It Without You

Blindsided Chapter 14: Can't Do It Without You

The week after his trip to see Ally Austin spent a lot of time with his family. He spent each morning with his grandpa so his parents could go to the store. He was lazy and did a lot of relaxing and napping when his grandpa dozed off during their talks. Grandpa David even showed him their family recipe for pancakes. Sometime between lunch and dinner Mimi would come home and Austin would call Ally and then get together with Dez.

The redhead was a godsend to Austin and kept him both entertained and distracted. Jimmy gave Dez the go ahead to make a music video for one of the songs from Austin's cd. While on tour he had gotten footage from the concerts and backstage, so together the guys decided to do "Rock N Roll" and use what Dez had and film more as needed. If they weren't working on the music video they were usually at the beach. Austin avoided the mall and Sonic Boom since Ally wasn't there.

Austin planned on being very busy with songwriting when Ally came back, but he got a head start at night on his own when he wasn't out late with Dez. He worked on another song from the music he and Ally had been writing since his tour started. Within a few days Austin wrote lyrics for another song. "Steal Your Heart" was sure to be a hit for his second record. He knew that because the lyrics poured out of him, the song almost fully formed with little effort. He kept playing it on Friday and by the end of the day his grandpa was humming it. He also teased Austin that this girl clearly had him whipped since he sat around with an old man, pining for her and writing love songs. Austin took the teasing with a smile and just sang louder as he danced around the family room, making Grandpa David laugh.

On the phone the next day Austin told Ally he'd written a song but she had to wait to hear it. She pouted but he held firm. He also warned her that he was going to be busier the next week because Jimmy had set up a whole bunch of interviews and a performance on Saturday night. She should call when she had time since his schedule was going to be different every day.

Austin went on two morning talk shows, and interviewed for 5 different webcasts and 3 radio stations in Miami. He had to travel to Orlando for one of the webcasts, but all the publicity on top of his recent tour was only helping him. Everything would be primed for him to release a second record as soon as possible after Ally got home. For the most part the interviewers all stuck to questions regarding his record and the recent tour, but there were some questions about Ally and his love life as well. This was particularly true of the webcasts which involved questions from fans. Everyone noticed that since the infamous kissing photos from the film festival almost two months previous, he had not been photographed or seen with his girlfriend. Each time Austin simply responded that they were doing well and she was incredibly supportive.

The last webcast was on Friday and the interviewer named Liza pushed him really hard on the subject.

"There are so many photos of you on stage and with fans, but there's no sign of Ally. We know she didn't go on tour with you and no one has seen you together at all. Was the film festival just a one time deal or some kind of joke?"

"What? No! Ally is real and we are dating." Austin defended.

"You don't seem like the kind of guy who would need to make up a girlfriend. I mean, just look at you! Am I right?" she smiled at the camera then turned back to Austin. "And you have thousands of girls who would go out with you given the chance. But the whole blind angle, some people have wondered if it wasn't a publicity stunt." Liza continued.

Austin stared at her. "Are you kidding me?"

"It's pretty ingenious, really puts you in a good light and all, until people find out." Liza added.

"No, I would never do something like that!" Austin said.

"Then give us some details! And I don't mean any of this 'she's really supportive' script we've heard before." Liza said.

"There were several reasons she couldn't come on tour. Besides, she has a job and commitments she couldn't walk away from to come running around the country with me. But we called and texted the whole time I was gone. Now she's out of town but we are fine."

"Isn't all that traveling hard on a relationship though? And, who was it? Oh, your ex-girlfriend met you in L.A." Liza pointed out.

Austin had enough. "That was a two minute conversation at a meet and greet! I didn't even know she was there until she came through the line. There's no dirt here for you to find. Look, I met a girl and fell madly in love, just like anyone else could, and now we are dating. Just because I'm famous doesn't mean the paparazzi have to come on every date with us to make it real or true. And stop making Ally's blindness a big deal because it doesn't matter! It isn't _who_ she is, it's just an interesting detail, like how her hair is brown and she likes pickles."

Liza grinned at him. "There you have it folks: an actual answer from our favorite pop star and heart-throb Austin Moon. The boy is in love! So Austin, are you working on any new music? Can you give us any hints as to when we'll see another record?"

"Wha? . . It's in the works. Hopefully we'll release it early next year." he said slowly, still stunned from Liza's quick change from grilling him about his love life to pleasantly asking about music.

"Great! I know all of your fans and I are looking forward to it. Make sure you give us the full scoop as soon as it's ready okay?" she chirped.

Austin just nodded.

"Well, that's it for this time. See you next week." Liza said to the cameras and then they were cleared. She turned back to Austin and patted his hand sympathetically. "Sorry hun, but you can't keep secrets when you are famous. But that was a fun challenge."

It was definitely the roughest interview he'd had yet. As he got in his car he received several texts from Kira, Dez and Trish. He read them quickly but didn't respond, his head still reeling, trying to figure out if he said too much or had done anything he'd regret. Then his phone rang and it was Ally.

"Hi." he answered shakily.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I don't know. Where you listening?"

"I was. She was so pushy! You sounded upset." Ally sounded concerned.

"I . . . did I say too much? I don't even know what I said, I was so frustrated." he said.

"You did fine. She didn't make it easy for you at all." Ally said.

"I . . .No, she didn't." Austin admitted sadly.

"So, you're madly in love with me, huh?" Ally asked teasingly.

Austin broke out of his shock and smiled. "Yeah. And now the whole world will know. You don't mind, do you?"

"Well, apparently there are thousands of girls who would date you, so I guess I'm pretty lucky."

"No. I'm the lucky one. Man, I bet Liza wishes she could hear this conversation." he shook his head. "I'm not trying to keep you secret Ally, I just want to protect you."

"I know that. But it's okay: I know you get a lot of attention and this is part of being in your life right now. I'm not afraid." she sounded fearless.

"You're amazing. And yes, I am completely, madly, in love with you." Austin said.

"Good. Me too." Ally said and they laughed together.

By the time Austin hung up he was feeling much better. Ally could always cheer him up. He texted Trish and Dez to assure them that he was okay and made plans with Dez for that afternoon. It turned out that Dez had put the finishing touches on the video while Austin was off interviewing all week. He showed the final product to Austin and late that afternoon they took it to Jimmy who was pleased and told Dez to post it immediately. He did and the boys went to a restaurant that served breakfast all day and ate pancakes while they used Austin's phone to watch the number of views of the video skyrocket as news of the new video spread.

Austin spent Saturday morning with his grandpa before he and Dez met Jimmy at the venue for the show that night. Dez had given a backstage pass to Trish so she could come if she wanted. Austin had traded a few texts with her but they hadn't spoken in person since the film festival but Dez had kept up with her and they spoke often. She arrived early and Austin caught up with her quickly. The three of them watched the opening act, a local band, from the side of the stage until Austin had to go on. Between two of his songs as he took a drink of water he glanced off stage and saw Trish talking on her phone which he thought was a little odd. After the concert he found out she had been talking to Ally who heard the concert live thanks to Trish. He didn't get a chance to talk to Ally though since he had to go back on stage for an encore.

. . . . . .

The next day was Sunday and as was their habit, Austin and Ally spent a few hours talking. They were only on the phone for a half hour and then spent the rest of the afternoon chatting online. Ally was working on a song and wanted Austin's help finishing it. By the time Mimi called Austin down to dinner they had finished "Double Take".

Austin had a photo shoot and was interviewed for an article in Cheetah Beat the next Tuesday. When the magazine came out on Friday Trish brought a copy to Austin's house where he and Dez were hanging out. At the end of the article was a teaser about additional content online. Austin was just wondering what that was when his phone buzzed alerting him of a new text.

"It's from Kira." He told the others. "She says I better check out that online stuff related to my interview. She sent it to Ally too."

"What's that about?" Trish wondered.

"Let's find out." Austin grabbed his laptop and the three of them gathered around it. He went to the site listed and a video interview loaded. He clicked play and Megan Sims filled the screen in all her preteen glory.

"Hi everyone! Megan Sims here in Ruston Louisiana at a training center for the blind where I tracked down Austin Moon's elusive girlfriend." She said.

Austin's mouth dropped open and he glanced at the others as the video shifted to the outside of the training center. The picture focused on the doors which opened and Ally walked out, cane in hand, and she turned onto the sidewalk. Austin guessed she was headed back to her place a few blocks away. Megan moved into the shot, microphone in hand.

"Excuse me, are you Ally Dawson?" she asked politely.

Ally stopped. "Um, yes. What's your name?" she asked uncertainly.

"I'm Megan. I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions about the training center." She didn't mention the camera or her job for the magazine.

"Oh, okay. Sure." Ally answered, relaxing just a little.

"I've heard it's a really good program here, can you tell me a little about it?" Megan prompted.

"Well, they have classes and instructors available to help people with impaired vision develop life skills and learn things to help us live independently. The people here are great and I've really enjoyed it." Ally said.

"Have you been here long?" Megan asked.

"I got here a little over two months ago."

"What made you decide to participate in the program?"

"Well, I turned 18 a few months ago, and even though my family took really good care of me, I wanted to be more independent and do more than I have in the past."

"Like what?"

"Like travel, you know, not be afraid of going new places or doing something by myself. Like anyone my age I want to be on my own and be able to have my own place and things. It was just what I needed so I can have the kind of life I want in the future." Ally said.

"Wow. You are so inspirational Ally!" Megan crooned. "But I have to ask, was it hard to leave home and come here?"

Ally's face fell slightly. "Yes. It was hard. This is pretty far from my home and I had to leave behind my family and friends, but it's only for a little while. Soon I'll be back again and I won't need so much help. I think it will make my life better."

"I'm sure it will. But you must miss the people you left behind. Was it just family, or did you have anyone special?" Megan asked.

Austin squirmed slightly, wondering what Megan was trying to pull.

"Well, there is someone special: my boyfriend actually. He's been so supportive, we talk on the phone almost every day, and he was able to visit me recently. I can't wait to get home and spend more time with him." Ally told her.

"Awww, that's so sweet!" Megan squealed. "Thanks so much for talking to me Ally, you've been really helpful."

"Sure, glad I could help."

The video changed to just Megan again in a different location. "There you have it everyone: the real reason Austin's sweetheart has been MIA since he went on tour. He wasn't kidding when he recently said she was out of town. I found out she moved to the training center right after her epic lip lock with Austin at the Miami film festival. The center she's at is pretty amazing so here's a shout out from Megan to the awesome people there. Oh, and didn't you just love Ally? She's such a sweetie, I can totally see why Austin loves her. Here's looking forward to them being reunited when she gets home. I'm Megan Sims. Bye!"

When the video ended the three friends sat there for a moment.

"Well, I guess there are no secrets when you are a celebrity, or a celebrity's girlfriend. I can't believe they tracked her down clear in Louisiana." Trish said.

"At least Megan was nice. Not like that Liza person." Dez said and Austin shuddered.

"Yeah, Megan was pretty nice to her and didn't mention me directly. It was kind of sneaky, but at least she didn't upset Ally." He said.

"Until Ally sees this and she'll know she was tricked." Trish pointed out.

"It's not like she said anything too personal or embarrassing. It was more like an endorsement for the center." Austin said.

"But how will she feel about it?" Trish pressed.

"Guys, you should read some of these comments. People really like Ally." Dez said, scanning through the comments underneath the video. Austin and Trish leaned in to read along with him. Austin grinned at the overwhelmingly positive response. A few of the comments were from people relating to her blindness and cheering her on for going to the center. Several others were wishing her and Austin well in their relationship. There were a few random comments just about Austin and his songs or concerts too.

Austin texted Ally, telling her she was cute and handled herself beautifully. She didn't respond until later in the afternoon when she had some free time and actually watched the 'interview'. She had no idea what it was at the time, but she wasn't embarrassed at all. Megan had been sweet.

. . .

Austin spent as much time at home as he could after that because Grandpa David caught a nasty cold. He knew his parents were worried but they didn't talk about it directly with him. He just made sure he was around to help out and relieve as much stress as he could for everyone. He wasn't very busy right then so it was easy for him to give most of his time to his family.

Jimmy was waiting on Ally to sign a new contract. Until then, he'd done everything he could for Austin's rising career and a new record was the next step. Austin was waiting for Ally too. He wanted to go over all the songs with her and get recording as soon as possible, but she had to get home first. As he waited he was more and more grateful that Ally had gone to the training center and had something to occupy her time while he was gone, since he was going crazy without her here. It was even getting hard to work on new songs by himself. He preferred working with her, bouncing ideas, melodies and lyrics off one another as they formed a song. As much as he loved his grandpa, being cooped up at home was starting to make him antsy. His mom's pancakes weren't even doing the trick anymore.

So on a Wednesday night he called her, desperate to hear her voice. He told her what was going on at home. She told him about one of her final tests she done that day: a drop off in town where she had to use public transportation to make her way back home all alone. She'd done the research on bus routes beforehand and was as prepared as she could be for it, so she'd been fine. She was also looking into and studying the grids back home in Miami, learning the bus routes she would need and use when she was home.

"Come on Ally, I'm not letting you out of my sight for at least a week when you get home. I'll take you where you need to go." Austin said.

"Yes, but after that, when you get tired of being my chauffer. . . ." She said.

"I won't ever get tired of being with you." he said.

Ally hesitated then. "Austin, there's something I need to tell you. Just don't get mad or worry."

"What is it?"

"You remember meeting Elliott when you were here, right?"

"Yes." a weight settled into his gut and he dreaded her next words.

"He asked me out." she said, confirming his fears. "But I told him no. I mean, he met you and everything and I'm always talking about you and our relationship, so where he got the idea that he could ask me is out is completely beyond me. It came out of nowhere and I made it clear that there is no way that is happening." she rushed on, sounding nervous.

"Ally, it's okay. You scared me for a second there though." Austin said.

"I just don't know what he was thinking."

"I do: you're awesome. One day you're going to believe me when I say that. To be honest, Elliott actually made me a little nervous when I was there. I was afraid he might try to steal you from me." he admitted.

"Well, I can't be stolen." Ally responded. "It's like when you saw Cassidy in L.A.: nothing happened with her because you are dating me. I mean, even just thinking about going out with someone else, I just flash back to Prom and dancing with Dallas. It just didn't feel the same as being with you. And Elliott's my friend, but I can't picture going out with him even though he knows how to deal with my blindness. I just don't trust him that much."

Austin smiled into the phone. She trusts _him_. She loves_ him_. She won't go out with Elliott.

"Austin?"

"I'm here. You just made me really happy. I can't wait to see you in a week." he said.

"Five days." she said.

"Five days." he repeated.

. . .

A light October breeze ruffled the trees in the courtyard outside of Sonic Boom. Austin paced inside while Trish and Dez argued over the latest Zaliens movie. He didn't pay any attention to them, but he turned to the door excitedly every time he heard it open. Ally's mom had flown out to bring her home and Lester insisted on picking them up from the airport alone so they could have some time just as a family. It was his idea to host the coming home party at Sonic Boom, and the store was still open.

Bryce was manning the registers and kept giving Austin sympathetic looks. He'd been around and witnessed their relationship from the start as a silent observer. He also knew Austin had been avoiding the store while Ally was out of state because it was too hard to come without her here. For Austin, she was the heart of it all. And Bryce got it. He had a fiancée and couldn't imagine being separated from her like the young singer had been from his girlfriend. And even though he was privy to some of Lester's rants and wonderings about the relationship between the blond star and his daughter, Bryce was pretty sure it would last.

The doors opened again and Austin was finally rewarded with the view he wanted most: Ally walked in, swinging her cane lightly in front of her as Lester held the door open. Penny was right behind her, looking like she wanted to do more, still getting used to her daughter's new skills and independence.

"Ally!" Austin crossed the store in a flash and pulled her into a hug. "Finally."

"It's good to be home." She said hugging him back. "I'm so glad you're here."

"Where else would I be? Your parents wouldn't let me come to the airport." He said.

Trish cleared her throat behind him and Austin reluctantly released Ally. Trish and Dez hugged her as well. Trish lightly touched Ally's long hair which now had ombre highlights on the ends.

"I like the hair." She said approvingly.

"Thanks. I wanted something new but I didn't want to cut it. I feel different now, and I wanted to show that somehow." Ally said. Austin liked it too.

Penny moved closer again, placing a hand on Ally's shoulder. "We had a good flight, but it's been a long day. We should get home soon so you can rest." She suggested.

"I'm fine mom." Ally said. "I've been dying to see everyone again, we can go home later. Austin?" she reached out a hand which he took and she started moving toward the stairs without the aid of her cane. She knew her way around this place without help. "Come on guys."

They all went up into the practice room to hang out like normal. Austin breathed a big sigh of relief as everything fell back into its proper place. He and Ally sat on the couch holding hands, talking and joking with Dez and Trish. Nothing had changed. They may have been separated and had a few new experiences, but they were all still the same.

Two hours later Penny insisted they go home and get her settled again. Ally asked Austin if he was free the next day and they made plans for him to pick her up at 10am. He was there right on time and took her home with him, finally introducing her to Grandpa David. They sat in the family room together where David was wrapped comfortably in blankets and installed in his favorite chair. Despite Austin's protests, Ally coaxed a few embarrassing stories out of the older man. They seemed determined to gang up on him, but truth be told, he would take their teasing and having Ally by his side over almost anything else.

Ally got back into teaching music lessons after school again a few days after she got home, but she insisted that the mornings were hers and she spent them with Austin. Quite often they were with Grandpa David as well. He listened while they worked on another new song, watching them write "Living in the Moment" over the course of three days.

Ally was still reading over the new contract Jimmy made for her with Star Records. She talked it over with Austin and ran it by her parents, then he took her to the studio on Monday, exactly a week after she got home and she signed the paperwork. This time she was only obligated for a year, at which point they could re-negotiate her terms. She decided to start working under own name and reveal the Lady Snow secret. She was confident and more comfortable in her own skin now, ready to take the spotlight.

At first they enjoyed having quiet time together at their homes and Sonic Boom. Austin had been keeping a low profile for a few weeks so the press hadn't gotten wind of her return yet, but it was inevitable. With Austin preparing to record new songs and Jimmy's full backing of all their work together and singly, they decided it was time to get out there again. Austin asked Ally out on a proper date and she went shopping with Trish for a new dress.

A few paparazzi had started following Austin around after he was spotted at the recording studio so neither of them were surprised when a small audience formed outside the restaurant where they had dinner, all straining to get photos of the couple. They even joked about giving the photographers a show and made no effort to hide their hand holding as they waited between courses. Ally pulled Austin close to whisper in his ear that her dinner was delicious and he smirked. If they were going to be watched, they might as well have fun with it. Austin waved and smiled at the photographers as they left the restaurant and told them to have a good night and go inside to enjoy a drink on him. Then they got in his car and drove away from the madness.

They sat on a bench on Austin's back porch, Ally nestled into Austin's side, and listened to the natural music of his mom's newest pride and joy: a small waterfall which ran into a pond full of bright orange fish. She sighed happily as she slipped off her flats and pulled her feet up under her skirt on the bench. Austin squeezed her shoulder lightly.

"This is how it's supposed to be, don't you think?" he asked.

"Mmhmm." She agreed sleepily.

"I know that sound. It means I have to take you home now, but I really don't want to." He said.

"You have to be at the studio in the morning." She reminded him.

"Alright." He shifted slightly, turning toward her and touching her cheek with his free hand. She lifted her face toward his so he could kiss her. A half hour later Austin took her home.

. . .

Just as they'd discussed when he visited her at the training center, Austin got Jimmy's help to set up a small concert at the mall. He was going to sing 4 songs: two old, one new, and a duet with Ally. He practiced a little with his band from tour and everything was finally set for the night before Halloween. Ally was only able to get to two rehearsals but Austin was confident that everything was going to be great.

That night he warmed up the audience with 'Heard it on the Radio' and 'Can You Feel it'. Then he announced his new song 'Better Than This'. The crowd responded immediately and Jimmy smiled at him from the sidelines, knowing that this was going to be another Dawson/Moon hit. When he finished and the applause started to die down Austin grabbed his guitar and went to center stage.

"I have a special surprise for you tonight. The last song is a duet that was written by someone very special to me. She writes all my songs and inspires me, let's hear it for Ally Dawson!" He ran to the side of the stage and took Ally's hand, leading her out to the microphones set up front and center as the crowd reacted.

Ally reached out and felt the mic stand in front of her then nodded to Austin. He began playing his guitar and the crowd hushed. Then she sang. Austin's smile widened as her voice floated over the crowd and they watched, mesmerized. He joined in and their voices melded in perfect unity. She turned toward him and he faced her as they sang together and he almost forgot about the crowd, something he'd never imagined possible. When the song ended the audience erupted in applause and cheering and Ally looked surprised for a second before a huge smile graced her lips. She had been caught up in the moment as well.

Austin took her hand and lifted it between them. "Ally Dawson everybody!" the cheering grew louder. "Thanks for coming out!" He led her off stage where Jimmy congratulated them and Kira hugged Ally.

"You were great! I love that song!" Kira said excitedly.

"I knew it should be a duet." Austin said, removing his guitar and handing it to a waiting stage hand.

"That was incredible!" Ally said, high off the performance. "And they liked it! That was amazing Austin!"

"I told you it would be." He put his arm around her. "I wouldn't be here without you. I'm just glad we can share it now."

"Is that song going to be on your new record?" Kira asked.

"Of course." Austin said.

"You bet it is." Jimmy agreed. "You two together are unstoppable. The two tracks you've already recorded sound great Austin. This record may be better than the first, which was great."

Ally's parents and Austin's mom rushed toward them. They had been down in the audience so they could watch the performance but now they joined Austin and Ally to celebrate.

. . .

Austin didn't do much for Halloween the next day. Grandpa David's cold had worsened during the past week and he was struggling with pneumonia. A nurse came by each day but both Mike and Mimi insisted that he be home instead of in a hospital if at all possible. They were following David's wishes as they'd discussed before. Trish brought Ally over and the three of them watched a movie with David. He fell asleep halfway through but they didn't stop it. Ally just stayed cuddled up with Austin and they let the old man sleep, although his breathing was labored. Trish left after that because she and Dez were going to a costume party but Austin wasn't in the mood for the holiday.

After getting him to eat a little soup for lunch they talked for a short time with Grandpa David but he tired easily. Ally sang him a few songs he requested and when Mimi came home to make dinner Ally excused herself to help. Austin watched her leave and then turned to ask his grandpa a question.

"You better be planning on marrying that girl." Grandpa David said as soon as she was out of earshot. "She's a special one, like your grandma."

Austin smiled and nodded. "It's been on my mind. But we're only 18."

"I married your grandma when I was 20 and she was just 18. What's your point?" Grandpa David rasped and winked a twinkly eye at his grandson.

"It's a little different now grandpa, a lot of people think that's too young." Austin said. "But don't worry: I'm not going to let her go."

"You better not, or you'll regret it the rest of your life. You two have something special: you are like a matching set, incomplete without the other. Hold onto her and make sure she knows how you feel. Don't play any stupid games, just be honest."

"I have told her. She knows I love her and that's not going to change." Austin said.

"Good. I want to know you are taken care of." Grandpa said, holding out his hand. Austin reached out and took the offered hand. His grandpa squeezed it feebly. "You are a good man and I'm proud of you. Keep doing what you are and keep the people you love close. Don't ever lose sight of what matters most."

"Okay grandpa." Austin said. His grandpa released his hand and rested his head back against his chair.

"I'm just going to rest a little until dinner. Wake me when it's ready." He said.

. . .

Four days later Grandpa David passed away in his sleep. When Austin got up in the morning he found his parents his grandpa's room, crying. The hospital and nurses were called, his grandpa was taken away as Austin watched in a numb stupor. He never even got dressed: he just ended up sitting with his mom on the couch, hugging her in his pajama pants and white t-shirt while she cried over her father. His dad talked to the doctors, made calls and organized things. Ally came in the afternoon. She said Mike called Lester so she was there to help. Mimi had Ally take her place on the couch and she went to her room with Mike for some privacy. Ally could hear them crying. Austin's eyes were dry when she ran her fingers tenderly over his face. She held him and he held her tight but he didn't cry. Dez came over with a lasagna his mom made. He told Austin to eat and he did. Mike and Mimi said thank you.

For the next two days Austin was rarely left alone. His friends came. Aunts, Uncles and cousins were everywhere. They all seemed so busy: talking, cooking, cleaning, comforting Mike and Mimi. It all felt surreal to Austin and he still couldn't accept that his grandpa was just gone. He felt numb except for Ally. When she held his hand he felt it, clung to it like a lifeline. She didn't make him talk if he didn't want to. She was gentle and was just there, beside him. He didn't know how to tell her what that meant to him, how much he needed it. And a few times when she wasn't there, he wondered how she knew just the right thing to do, just what he needed when no one else seemed to get it.

Then he realized that it was part of their magic. Grandpa saw it, he knew that kind of magic because it was always how he described grandma who had died when Austin was very young. He didn't actually know her, but he felt like he did because of the way grandpa talked about her. He brightened up when she came over and told her he loved her. He wasn't going to lose her.

During the funeral Ally was there by his side. She told him she didn't want to intrude in any family time but Austin just held her hand and kissed her temple. Afterward all the family, relatives and close friends went back to the Moon house. Austin was pulled into some family conversations and Ally went up to his bedroom. She sat on his bed with her back against the headboard, legs stretched out on top of the comforter. She was typing something into her phone when Austin came into the room looking for her.

"Ally." His voice was full of relief as he crossed the room to her. "I was afraid you left." He sat on the bed facing the window, his back to her legs, and she set her phone down next to her purse and cane on his bedside table.

"I wouldn't leave without saying goodbye. I just felt like I was intruding a little down there so I came up here to give your family space."

"I'm not used to you wandering off alone yet. I miss you needing me to guide you." He admitted.

Ally sat forward off the pillows she had stacked behind her back to lean against. She reached a hand out and ran it up and down Austin's back in a soothing gesture. "I still need you. I'm just more mobile now."

Austin nodded his head but his face crumpled. "I need you." he said. Ally felt his body begin to shake as his pent up anguish burst to the surface. Austin finally began to cry and physically mourn for his grandfather. A deep sob ripped from his chest and Ally scooted closer to him, wrapping her arms around his waist from behind and leaning her body against his back, her head resting against his shoulder blade. One of Austin's hands clutched at her hands, holding them tight to his chest while the other covered his face as his tears streamed down. Ally didn't say a word but held him tight as he released his pain.

After some time Austin shifted, pulling out of her embrace and sinking from the bed onto his knees on the floor. Ally swung her legs off the bed and sat on the edge as Austin turned to face her. He hugged her, their bodies flush against each other as he buried his head in the crook of her neck and her arms wrapped around his shoulders. He trembled as he cried and took in deep ragged breaths, clutching her back and holding her in a crushing embrace.

"Ally."

"I'm right here." She soothed him, running a hand gently through his hair.

"He's gone."

"I know." She gave him a squeeze, getting impossibly closer. They were melded together as one being, breathing together, a tangle of bodies with no separation, no beginning or end between them.

"I couldn't find you earlier. Please stay with me."

"I'm right here." She assured him again, stroking his back and hair.

He cried softly now, his tears falling silently to her shoulder as she held him. Neither of them saw Mike Moon stop just outside the open door to the bedroom. He was relieved that Austin was finally letting his emotions out. Mike was glad he had Ally to turn to since he and Mimi had been dealing with their own grief. As attuned as Ally was to the sounds surrounding her, she didn't hear Mike shuffle away after a moment of watching them because all of her attention was on the man falling apart in her arms. She was there to hold the pieces until he could begin put himself back together. And he did.

Austin slumped out of her arms, exhausted, resting his head on her knee as he sat on the floor. She ran her fingers through his hair, lightly massaging his scalp with her fingertips. His body shuddered with a deep breath every so often but his tears were spent now. One of his hands rested on her knees near his face, playing with the hem of her skirt while the other occasionally ran up and down the back of one of her calves. She softly sang a 5 Star Iris song called "is there something I can do". No one came looking for them or interrupted them for a long time and Austin was able to put himself back together.

**A/N: well, there it is. I hope the end wasn't too much of a downer. I envisioned this scene pretty early on and it may sound odd, but I like it. Because as much as dating and kissing are fun and exciting, relationships are about so much more too. and I just wanted to show how they could turn to each other for anything and she could be his strength too. Let me know what you think!**


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